Moon Girl - COMPLETED
by Rayvenious
Summary: Melody Swan, a 15-year old teenager, leaves her family after an horrible accident. She's going to live with her father and half-sister Bella Swan. With their arrival, the two girls are sucked into a world they never thought existed. What happens when Bella finds out about the Cullens? What happens when they find out about Melody? And when is she getting her own happily ever after?
1. Prologue

** Prologue**

I felt the pain, scorching, burning, shattering. I smelled the heat, the fire , the aspects of a kill. But did not see. The light blinded me even as the reckless actions I'd done. A whole childhood I'd been different, but happy. I had a family that protected me fiercely and now I was doing them a favor for all that. I had been the one she'd been chasing all along. Because of me being me. I didn't deserve to walk around this earth, to love and smile. Those words were like the sharp ends of knives in my back. And perhaps, it was the truth. Thinking about it would only give me less time to say goodbye. I'd only have seconds, mere minutes before I'd close my eyes.

I cried out loudly, a cry of one's excruciating death. My death. For fourteen years, I was supposed to die. And she was getting what she'd always wanted.

My end.

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**A/N: So this si the prologue! :)**

**I want you to know that, in the beginning it's quite like the original - the basic happenings that is, but it'll change soon. **

**And next to that: I do not intend to claim and copy Stephenie Meyer's Twilight as mine. This story, though, is written by me - plot and new characters are mine. **


	2. Chapter One

"Melody! Melody!? Wake up! "  
I grumbled, turned around and tried to hide my face under the pillow. Before I could even exhale a breath, the pillow was yanked from my head, followed by the bedding. Damn, it was cold.  
"Come on, sleepy head! It's Christmas!"  
Sometimes I wished my sister would just shut her mouth and leave me alone. But unfortunately, if she did, one of my other siblings would wake me anyway, so it was pointless to struggle against it. But since I didn't feel the need to get out yet, I stubbornly stayed in my bed, even though it was cold as fuck.  
"Geez! Melody, I know you're awake! Get out of that bed!" I could hear in Skye's voice she was close to dragging me, so I slowly opened my eyes, staring daggers at her.  
"Finally! Why are you still in bed? Everyone is up already. Even Nate!" she said, ignoring my glares. She raised her eyebrows and stood there, tapping her foot. I rolled my eyes.  
"I'm just tired okay? I'll take a shower and then I'll be downstairs." I said in a small, sleepy voice. The real reason I didn't want to get out, was because today I had to tell my siblings I had to leave. This would be my last Christmas with them. For now.

We were with ten of us. My two sisters and brother, my brothers- and sister-in-law, my three cousins and me. I was only left over.  
I picked some clothes from my closet and headed for the shower. I turned it on and stepped under the spray and after a few minutes, I felt more relaxed.

My oldest sister, Scarlett Marie Swan, married with Adam Zachary Bright a few years ago. They met in Medical School and both work at the local hospital. They have a son, Denim Joshua Bright. He's thirteen years old and crazy about cars. Especially Volvo's.

Then we have my brother Nathan Charles Swan. He's the 'joker' of the family. Always making fun of his baby sister - me - and enjoying his life. Three years ago, he got married to his _long_time girlfriend Layla Sophie Kennedy. Their daughter, Faith Anna Swan , is twelve by now. She loves shoes. It's her obsession! Always buying new ones, it keeps going.

The second youngest is my sister Skye Helena Swan. If we couldn't find Skye in the dark, you should follow the lighting flashes from her camera. She captures every major moment in a picture. In college she met Christopher James Johnson. Their daughter Alana Lena Johnson is eleven. She's very smart and shy, but very brave also.

My cousins always feel like brother and sisters to me. I'm just a few years older. They think it's funny to call me Auntie Melody ,though….  
Suddenly, the water began running cold and I stepped out. I quickly dried my body and threw on a red shirt and my favorite jeans. I blew my hair dry, pulled it up in a pony tail and slowly, unwillingly, descended the stairs.

"There you are! It's about time, baby girl!" Nate beamed at me and jumped from his seat to give me a hug. I couldn't help but feel miserable, since I was going to tell them I had to leave. I swallowed the lump in my throat and followed him to the table. I plopped down in my seat and waited for the others to join us. My siblings greeted me with a vocal symphony of 'Merry Christmas' and we sat down for breakfast. We ate together in silence, just enjoying the fact to just _be_.  
After breakfast we gathered in the living room to open presents. And after presents we went outside for a snow fight. there never was much snow in Los Angeles, but this year, we were extremely lucky. Well, they were lucky; for me it was only risky. Like always, the happy banter of my family started. Normally I'd join them, but I was trying to find the nerve to tell the news…  
_ 'Something is wrong.'_ I looked up to see Scarlett studying me.  
"Melody? Want to help me out for a minute?" Scar asked me. Of course she knew something was going on. I was very easy to read. Too easy.  
I nodded ad followed her into the kitchen and waited for her to speak. I nervously stood there, in my red snow boots and Santa hat, leaning against the counter.  
"Melody ,what's up? I know something is bothering you, please tell me?" she pleaded. I couldn't look her in the eye. I stared ahead of me instead. Slowly I inhaled a deep breath and ever so slowly, I exhaled it. I couldn't deny it anymore so I dropped the bomb.  
"I have to leave. I'm going to Forks, living with Dad." I said in a soft raspy voice. My sister was silent for a moment. Carefully I looked up at her only to find her face deep in thought, but obviously blocking those thoughts from me.  
"Why?"  
I sighed before I answered her question. "I can't stand it anymore. I truly love you guys, I do! But…I can't….I feel…I don't want to be so lonely any more. And I feel so haunted here...the memories are so…" I trailed off shaking my head to clear from the dark images that were creeping my mind, "And next to that it's better for my development. " my voice was harsh when I those memories, but I needed to clarify what I meant.  
Then Scarlett's face softened." I already thought you felt lonely. And I think you," I could see my sister's pain, thinking about it as well, "are right, but we don't want to lose you! We love you! We all do! And it's fine by me you're going back, but you do understand you have to live with Bella, right?" her last sentence was a bit hopeless. Yep, I knew I was going to live with my Dad _with_ Bella.

Bella was our half- sister. In the middle of my parents' relationship something had gone wrong, and my Father ended up marrying Renee Dwyer. Together they had gotten a child, Isabella. She's eighteen, three years older than I am. She's going to live in Forks as well, but her reason was because her mother wanted to travel with her new husband, whom was already her fifth.  
"I know. Actually, I already talked to Dad, we already made a decision. I'm leaving next Saturday." I told her in a soft voice, feeling the tears welling in the corners of my eyes.  
"Oh honey! Don't cry! It's okay. You'll be fine. Just promise we can visit and we can call the whole time you know?" she chuckled softly. I felt a rush of relief wash over me.  
"Sure as hell, you can!" I said her giggling. She gave me a big-sister hug and spoke again.  
"Now, we have to tell the others…Oh! And does Dad already know? That it's for sure, I mean?" She walked over to the doors to the backyard while speaking and I followed her.  
"Dad already knows off course, he just wanted me to call him when I had told you. " I said smiling a little. Scar just nodded and kept walking until we found the others. They noticed us and stopped their snow fight, waiting for Scarlett to speak. It was always funny when they did that, like Scar was some kind of leader or something, which she probably was, since she was the oldest. She took care of us when my mother couldn't. I was going to miss a mother figure in my life from now on.  
"Hey Sweeties, listen up. Melody has some news to share. I'd like it if you let her speak first before you go arguing." she gave them a stern look and I already heard the curiosity in their minds.

After her 'speech', she nodded at me, encouraging me to tell them. I took a deep breath and told my family the whole story, from why till when.

Later that evening, I already started to pack some stuff. I only needed to pack the things I brought over to Skye's, since me and my siblings were staying at their house for Christmas and winter-break. At home, where I live with Scarlett and Adam – correction, _lived_ – I'd pack the rest.  
I'd called my Father earlier and he was genuinely happy that I was going to live with him. He already told me that I didn't had to worry about my new bedroom – A woman in Forks ,apparently, was an interior designer for a living and she would design my room. I was surprised they even had an interior designer in Forks. Charlie - I prefer to call him that, even though he doesn't like it  
- asked me which colors I liked and if I wanted carpeting or wooden flooring. I answered him that I liked royal blue, deep purple or hot pink, and that I'd like wooden flooring but that carpeting would fit me, too. The other things I left for the designer to figure. I also agreed with him to send my belongings by plane. It wouldn't be very easy to drag all of that.  
Telling my other siblings went easier then I had thought. I was afraid that they would prevent me from going, especially Nate. He was always Mr. I-take-care-for-my-little-sister-don't-mess-with-me, and he could be very convincing. He was angry and pretty upset, although he told me to go, because he knew it would be better for me to get away from the cuddling couples and grieving memories for a while. He actually didn't say that out loud, but it was perfectly clear for me.  
I sat down on the bed letting my head fall in my hands, sighing deeply. Sure, I was glad to go live with Charlie, and I knew my brothers and sisters were going to visit me once in a while, so I wouldn't really miss them too much. I was a little concerned about the 'Bella is going to be there too' thing, though.

Bella was Charlie's fourth daughter. My Dad married shotgun with Renee Dwyer, a whimsical woman from Phoenix. With her he had gotten Isabella Marie Swan. Less than a year after Bella´s birth, they divorced again. Renee hated Forks and wanted Charlie to go live with her in Arizona, but he didn´t want to leave, because of us. She didn't like his choice and left him the following day, and took Bella with her. I don't really know what happened after that. What I do know, is that my parents got back together and…made…me. So, here I am.  
I let myself fall backwards against the mattress, rubbing my eyes roughly. The fact that I had to live with Bella kind of freaked me out. Okay, she was my half-sister, we were kind of look-a-like, but from the inside she was so much different than me. I didn't really like it to look like her, but I truly loathed it, that I automatically looked like Renee. It was creepy since she's definitely not my mother. And she never will be. Renee Dwyer is a selfish bitch. Always judging people, nagging people, always wanting to be the focus of interest. It makes me sick how she treats other people. And Bella was kind of the same, but yet still different. But I was sure she would change at some point. Renee, her mother, was always being sweet, shy and polite from the outside, but her thoughts always told the opposite. Suddenly I feared that Bella and I had to share a bedroom. Yes, we got along, even though I knew she didn't like me that much, but still… Nah, I think Charlie would understand that we need our privacy, especially with me there.

"Baby Swan? Already done with packing? Want to join us? We're watching some movie." I opened my eyes, which I had closed during being lost in my thoughts, and saw Layla, my sister-in-law, standing in front of me, smiling shyly.  
_ 'I hope she joins us, Nate is pretty upset…'_ she turned her eyes towards me _'Melody please? Let us enjoy your presence for as long as we have you here.' _She looked a little teary eyed. I knew I had hurt them, and I hated myself for it, but it was time to think about myself for once. I nodded at her and followed her downstairs. Together with my family, I made this Christmas perfect. I tried to push away the unpleasant thoughts and enjoyed the last few days in LA before I would leave northward.

I went shopping with my sisters and went to a baseball game with my brothers. My cousins wanted to bake cookies, cake and pie and I loved them for it. I was going to miss those little crazy kids. Even though I was their aunt, it felt more like we were siblings. Maybe that was because I was much younger than Skye, Nate and Scarlett. Hell, Scar was thirteen years older than me and her own son was two years younger than me. It made sense. I was in between my adult siblings and my not-yet teenage cousins. A weird situation. And I'm wondering, where do _I_ belong, forever?


	3. Chapter Two

**A/N1: Hi! I hope u like! it's my first fan-fic by the way...:)**

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_*Would everyone who flies with Alaska Airlines to Seattle SEA head for the custom authorities? Have a nice flight.*_

"Well, I have to leave for customs now…I...I'll call when I'm at SEA." I shrugged and tried to sound casual, but I was nervous. I was going to leave the place where I grew up for the most part. And even though I liked Forks, I was going to miss the sun. In the Washington state, beneath a cover of clouds was the small town Forks. It was almost raining every day there.  
"Yeah,..you probably should. Please say 'Hi' to Dad for me, would you?" Nate was scratching his scalp. It was a poor habit he always did when he was…nervous? At home I'd said my goodbyes to the rest of the family. Denim, Faith and Alana were agonized by the fact I was leaving. It pained me so much to hurt them...Scarlett, Skye and Layla had been so supportive. They even joked about me finding my 'Prince Charming'. As if that would happen, even though I wanted it so much. The boys, Chris and Adam, just said they'd be looking forward on seeing me again. I was too.  
Then out of nothing, my brother literally yanked me from the floor beneath me hugging me for dear life, leaving my legs dangling numb in the air.  
"Nate!? Breathe! Air! PLEASE!?" I managed to choke out. Seriously, the guy needed to think about his strength if he wanted to hug me. He chuckled and almost dropped me on the floor. I stumbled backwards a little before he steadied me.  
_ 'Poor Baby Swan, forever and always the klutz…' _the brown-haired devil was grinning at me.  
"I love you Bro, I'll call you later!" with that I kissed him on the cheek and headed towards the customs. Before I went through the gates, I turned around once more, but Nate was already gone.

The flight from LAX to Seattle took an hour or five, from there I had to take a small plane to Port Angeles and there would Charlie pick me up and we would drive the last hour to Forks. Charlie told me on the phone that Bella already arrived yesterday so it wouldn't be all stress in the little house.  
When I got off the plane, stumbling and tripping the whole time, it was raining already. Yep, I definitely had said goodbye to the lovely sun. Charlie waited for me while I searched for my suitcases – I had a lot of clothes with me, even though there were things I couldn't wear with this kind of weather, but a vest or long sleeved shirt will do wonders. Charlie greeted me and hugged me awkwardly. We both weren't really comfortable with expressing our feelings, so it was a little weird.

We walked to the car in silence, at least I thought _'car_' but of course, Charlie wanted to drive his Police Cruiser, since he was the Police Chief himself.  
_ 'Oops…hope she doesn't mind going with the cruiser…maybe I should buy another car? Oh, wait it's not necessary since..'_ Why would my father shut me out? He looked at me, and I raised an eyebrow. He smiled - his thick, black mustache raised in the corners - and shook his head. Nope, I had to wait then I guess.  
The car drive was pretty quiet, despite a few sentences about the weather. When we drove into town, I began to recognize it here and there. I've been here before, but it was years ago. The last five years, Charlie would visit us in LA. We finally arrived at the little house where Charlie lived since he was alone. The house where I was born, stood a few miles away from town. I didn't know if it was still there, but maybe I could visit it sometime.  
We stopped In front of my father's house, my house now too, and together we picked up my suitcases from the trunk. I carried three big, blue, suitcases with me. The whole trunk was full, it just fitted snugly.  
"Melody, let me take this one, it's heavy and you- " before he could even finish his sentence, I already had picked up the two suitcases. Yes, they were heavy, but I could handle it. He looked at me wide-eyed and I just rose my eyebrow quizzically.  
_ 'It looks like you got stronger since the last time I saw you! Are you already…you know?'_ he studied my face and appearance for a minute, especially my eyes. But those were still the same. The same light-caramel, golden color they always had been. Off course they would change colors sooner or later. I shook my head 'no'. I would explain it later, but right now, wasn't the right time to do so.  
We dropped the suitcases in the living room, since Charlie wanted to show me my bedroom first. I followed him up the stairs. On the end of the staircase was the bathroom, which we had to share with the three off us. on the left side of us, was a door with 'Isabella' on it. It was painted in elegant letters, with swirls on the end. Obviously Bella's room. On my right, was another door. On this door stood 'Melodiana' . The letters were different than the ones form Bella's door, but those fitted me better. My Dad gestured for me to open the door and I did. I swung it open and gasped in surprise.  
At the end of the room, was a large window. It was in line with the door. Surrounding it, were hanging white, lace curtains. Like I preferred, the color of the left wall, was Royal Blue. The opposite wall was white. Against the blue wall, stood my new bed. The bedding was also white with blue swirls on it. Against the white wall were a dresser, desk and surprisingly, my piano. Those were from steel, silver or grey colored. It all fitted together, and I truly loved it. I'm going to hug this designer-woman!  
"Wow! Dad, this is absolutely awesome! We seriously have to thank this designer!" I smiled broadly at him, and his face colored slightly red. _'Really? I mean,…you like the desk and dresser? I chose them….and eh-'_  
"Dad it's beautiful. And I'm surprised my piano is here already,..and my other belongings too! Thanks Dad! I'm going to drag my suitcases in here and unpack." I stormed out of the room, but not before kissing him on his cheek, which made him blush even deeper.

I quickly unpacked my stuff, placed every piece of clothing in my new dresser, all my shoes – and I had a lot of them- on the destined shelf and pictures and other decorations on my nightstand. Charlie had asked me what kind of pizza I liked and I went to call Nathan that I was in Forks. After that, I hopped down the stairs, feeling pretty good, actually. But before I could sit down at the table, I saw something what made my good mood die down. Bella.  
"Melody! I haven't seen you in a while!" she hugged me. She fucking hugged me. I hated it. We liked each other, but she always wanted to be the 'boss'. Like I was her twin and I needed to listen to her. The best part of it was, that she didn't have a clue about my gift. The only reason I let her 'act', was because of Charlie.  
"Yeah, missed you too, sis…" I managed to say, almost feeling the venom literally flooding. She smiled at me, but in the meantime she was thinking about ridiculous nicknames for me. Charlie called from the hall that the pizza was here, and we ate together.

Later that night, I fell upon my new bed, clenching and unclenching my fists. The whole time during dinner, my sister was talking non-fucking-stop! It was crazy. I roughly rubbed my eyes with the palms of my hands, before sighing audibly. I stood up again and stripped down to my panties and threw on my pajamas. Good thing my sisters and me went shopping before I left. Sure, I had enough pajamas, but they were a little too cold. For tonight I chose the grey ones: grey long-sleeved shirt and a bottom with white, horizontal stripes. I combed my hair, brushed my teeth in the bathroom and crawled under the covers. As I looked at the ceiling, I saw the fairy-twinkle lights hanging across the room. It made me smile because fairies where mythical creatures, they didn't exist. It made me think about myself…the thought made my smile change into a scowl. I sighed again.  
Suddenly I was thinking about last summer. I felt the knot in my stomach return.  
Why did she leave us, just when we needed her? Why did that damn accident have to happen? Why did she hurt me? I though back to the day that they told me, when it went wrong the first time. Memories off Scarlett and Skye, crying and screaming shot through my head. It had been horrible to see that. I didn't understand it completely. I was just six years old at that time. Another memory came back. An eighteen year old Scarlett trying to explain it to me, without hurting me any further than I already was. The pain I had seen in her eyes. The anger and frustration that gleamed behind it. It was heart wrenching to see her struggle so much. How she tried to tell me that my mother was dead. And what she did afterwards.

I cringed again, while I tried to blink away the tears before they could spill over. I rolled over in my bed, needing to find a more comfortable position to sleep in. I shook my head, letting the terrible thoughts and memories disappear. Long after that, I fell into a restless sleep.

I heard a weird shuffle and frowned. Then I heard another shuffle. I felt something stroking my hair. Or better said; someone. _'Look at her. She looks so peaceful when she sleeps…still my baby girl.'_ Then, Charlie's hand was gone and after a few more shuffles, I heard to click of the door. I smiled a little at the great affection he had for me. Not just for me, but for all of us. For his family, his children, his grandchildren. He loved all of us dearly, even though we were so different. The man must have had a tough live, dealing with all this crazy nonsense. I slowly opened one eye and then the other. Normally I needed to adjust the light, but since it was already raining- or never stopped – I could open my eyes without flashing light shining in them. Even though that was quite nice, I missed the sun. At home I would've thrown on my favorite yellow sundress, hopped downstairs, picked a pancake Layla made every Sunday morning, and got outside for a little sunbathing and a good book. I missed it already. Now I had to think about what I could do today. Maybe I could draw, or read a book. I could watch a movie or listen to music. Perhaps I was allowed to play the piano for a while? There were quite a lot possibilities and I decided to just do all of them today. I took a glance at my alarm clock and saw it was already eleven o'clock. I would have likely nine hours to entertain myself before I would go to bed again. Time to get out of the damn bed and get dressed for a rainy Sunday.

Bella and I had made lunch, because it was pretty late for breakfast. Charlie went for the La push reservation to one of his friends. I never felt comfortable at the reservation, that's why I never went with them when I still lived here. But I was curious, though. Maybe I could accompany my dad the next time.  
I asked Bella what she was going to do today. She told me she was just going to read a book or two, Skyping with her friends from phoenix en maybe listen to some music. Out of politeness she asked me the same.  
"So, What are you going to do, then?"  
"Oh, just, reading, drawing, listening to some music, play the piano…nothing special, really."I answered.  
_ 'please, let her play a little average! I can't handle it if it's false!'_ I needed to contain my laughter when I heard that.  
"Please, say you actually can play?" she asked with a grin. This time I was able to laugh en I told her that that wouldn't be much of an issue.  
The rest of the Sunday, was quite peaceful. The only thing you heard was the rustle of the wind, the tapping of the rain and now and then you heard the sound of turning pages. At least, that's what I heard.  
Charlie got home at six and we ate fish. He was telling us that it was Harry Clearwater's 'famous fish fried'. The whole time during dinner he would tell a story about when they were fishing. He looked so happy when he told us, laughing, about that one day Billy Black fell out of the boat. That was before Billy got in a wheelchair.  
After the dishes were done and we'd watched some baseball, for Charlie, I got upstairs for bed. I dressed for the night en crawled on the soft mattress, letting it swallow me into the cushions.  
Charlie told us that we would go to Forks High School tomorrow. He already signed us in. I was afraid of how the students would react, since I looked quite different. What would they say about my eye-color? I decided not to wear the brown contacts, since I hated them, and nobody knew me here, so I could leave them. A good thing was; My eyes were already changed into the dark black holes. But still…that could raise suspicious too. And what would they think about my hair? I liked my hair of course, but maybe the folks in a small town like this, didn't appreciate it?  
My hair was dark brown and fell upon my waist. The tips of the waves, were blond. It's been like this since I can remember. And my gift? Oh God, I would hear everything they thought or gossiped about. Maybe I needed to keep myself on the background, it would attract less attention, but still, I didn't really like to be the focus of attention, especially because I'm dangerously clumsy too…  
I felt a single tear slip across my flushed cheek. I touched it with my finger and looked at the drop. I sighed again, turned around to shut the twinkle lights and buried my face into the pillow. The following day would be hard, but I'd survive it. After a few minutes, I fell asleep, dreaming about nothing.


	4. Chapter Three

**A/N: Wow! I got email that there are people following my story! ^^ really awesome!**

**You'd make me happy with reviews! Then I'll know if you like or if I have to do something different?**

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I woke up, thinking that It was sunny. I literally jumped from my bed and raced to the window. When I looked outside, I was immediately disappointed. It was fog. Just fucking fog. I pushed myself away from the window and checked my alarm clock once. It was a little early, but I decided to just take a shower and get ready for school. It was going to be an hell of a day.

I grasped some undergarments, and jeans out of my closet and tip-toed to the bathroom. I stripped off, hopped in and relaxed under the warm water. After a few minutes I got out and dried off. I could smell the heavenly scent of coconut mixed with bananas in the air. My favorite shampoo.

I threw on my panties, bra and jeans and then looked at myself in the mirror.

My hair was still wet from my shower, of course, so it looked almost black. I took a glance at my clothes and snickered a little. When I picked out my underwear, I just grabbed something from the drawer. I had 'chosen' white panties with little pink hearts on it, but luckily, I was wearing a plain white bra. My jeans were hanging low on my hips. I always wore my jeans a bit baggy.

I looked at my skin. The most people from California were pretty tan but I wasn't. My skin was actually quite pale, except for my permanent pink blush-like cheeks. I wasn't really tall as well. I was pretty tiny actually, but slender. I shook my head to snap out of my 'think-modus', dried my hair and walked back to my bedroom.

Since it was grey outside, I decided to wear grey as well. It just fitted my mood at the moment. So, I grabbed a plain, charcoal grey, long sleeved shirt and headed for the bathroom again, but this time to put on some makeup and fix my hair. I tied my hair in a simple ponytail and didn't apply too much makeup. Just a bit mascara and eyeliner and I was done.

After putting on a pair of green Chucks and my tags necklace – which I inherited from my grandfather – I grabbed my bag and tip-toed downstairs.

When I entered the kitchen to make myself breakfast, Charlie was sitting there reading the paper. I kind of expected that he'd already left for work by this time.

"Oh, morning Baby Swan. Up early, aren't you?"

"Morning Dad. Uhm…yeah, I woke up and didn't feel like sleeping any longer so,…" I walked over to the kitchen counter and made myself a bowl of cornflakes with milk.

"I was thinking," Charlie said out of the blue," Since you're not sixteen yet, maybe you could drive with Bella at first? I need to find a car for you and a license…" he questioned me. I sat down on the chair next to him.

"Well, it's okay. For now. but it will be a little difficult sometimes. Maybe I should look for my own vehicle next- " before I could finish my sentence my dad interrupted me.

"No, you're getting it from me. I gave Bella one too, so next time it's your turn. But you have to wait for a while…" he was thinking about his finances when I realized this must be the reason he had shut me out in the car. I saw him smiling and I agreed with him to wait.

"Dad, I'm not mad. Don't explain yourself." I finished my breakfast and chanced a glance at the clock. It took me pretty long to eat. Maybe because I was mostly talking? Charlie looked at the clock too and stood up, noticing he had to hurry up.

"Honey, I have to go. I'll be home around six…" '_what the hell can we eat? Maybe we can go to the diner for a few hamburgers?'_

"Dad, I'll order dinner, don't worry about it. And..be safe okay?" I chuckled a little at his inner rambling. It always occurred me, that I didn't really heard my father's thoughts the whole time. I didn't hear others spontaneously either, but only if I concentrated? I didn't really know how it actually worked, but what I did know, was that I was just weird.

"Always am." He answered and got out the door, leaving me waiting for Bella.

Fifteen minutes later, Bella and I were sitting in a red Chevy truck, on our way to Forks High School. When Bella appeared in the kitchen this morning, I nearly choked on my glass of orange juice. She was wearing jeans, a green shirt with way to deep cleavage and high heels. A subtle thing she inherited from her mother.

The whole car drive I was secretly praying, nobody would say, or even think, we were twins. I admit, we quite looked like each other and we were born on the same day, I just three years later. I sighed.

"So, are you nervous for today? I am." Bella asked me after a while. She was. She was hoping people would like her and maybe even going to have a boyfriend this year.

"Yeah…a bit." Big understatement. I was nervous as fuck and wanted nothing more than to suffer in silence. As soon as conversation started, it was over.

After a few more minutes, we arrived at school. It didn't look like a school, but seeing the big sign telling us this was 'FHS; Home of the Spartans' it obviously was. Bella drove around the parking lot, looking for a space to park The Beast, like I nicknamed the pick-up.

When she finally found a spot, she shut the engine which died with a roar. Yep, I'm going to call it the roaring beast from now on.

I found out that a lot of students had already noticed us.

_'Nice car…. What a piece of junk..'_

_ 'I've never seen this one here before? Must be the new girls then!'_

_ 'Geez…weird that the Chief let his daughters drive in this..thing..'_

_ 'Good. Apparently the Chief's daughters are nerds or something, or you're not driving such a ugly car.'_

I ignored it, at least I tried, and Bella hopped out of the driver's seat. I did the same after taking a huge breath. The truck was pretty high, for me that is, and I literally had to jump down. Bella waited for me and together we walked to the secretary building.

'_Seriously? What the hell is the girl wearing? And those shoes, God they're awful!' _Nope. Bella still didn't like my shoes. Like I care.

'_Oh my god! Those chicks are hot! I'm so going to date one! Or both…'_

_ 'Why are the boys drooling over those girls? They're not even that pretty!'_

_'Are they twins? Nah! The left one is smaller, less pretty. She looks like a kid…'_

I growled out loud on the last one, causing Bella's head to snap up. '_What the hell is she doing now!?' _she thought rolling her eyes. Fuck, it's a good thing she doesn't know anything about my gift. And the other weird things.

We entered the little building and walked to the desk. A chubby woman with red hair and round glasses, looked up after hearing the door close. Her face looked a bit confused. She thought about it, that she had never seen us before. Then her face lit up and she smiled warmly at us. '_Of course! The new girls! They're lovely!'_

"Good morning, I suppose you are Chief Swan's daughters? I'm Mrs. Cope and if there are any problems you can ask me. Right here I have your timetables and a map. " she stood up from her chair and walked to a cabinet, fishing out a bunch of paper. She shuffled back and sat down, pushing her glasses back on her nose. '_let's see…oh! Which is for whom?' _

"Well, this one is for Isabella Swan?" she looked at me in the first place, but Bella extended her hand. Mrs. Cope gave her the right paperwork and without saying something Bella left the building. Mrs. Cope looked a bit confused but shook it off.

"And you must be Melodiana Swan, then!" she smiled. I smiled back at her.

"Yes, Thank you. Uhm…are there any classes I have to share with my sister?" I asked hesitantly. Mrs. Cope shuffled through some paperwork again, thinking about cleaning up later, and looked for the right piece.

'_Wow! She must be a smart girl! Perfect grades at her former school, following Advanced Biology…'_

"Yes, you share Biology and Trigonometry. Now, hurry up because you don't want to be late on your first day!" She smiled again and I giggled. I took the map and other stuff and hurried out of the building.

I exited the building and walked over to Bella, who was leaning against the wall under the roof, not wanting to get soaked. '_I truly hate rain!' _she thought. I couldn't agree more with her.

"Done?"she asked with that sick-sweet voice. "Yep." I answered. We stood there for a few minutes, not sure where to go or what to do. "I don't know what you're going to do, but I'm heading to my first class." I looked at her hesitantly. She might be bitchy at times, but she was a nice girl. For now.

"What's your first class then?" she asked me, still staring into nothing.

"Sociology with Mr. Jefferson in building four." I answered checking my schedule.

"English with Mr. Mason in building five." She informed me.

Not long after that, we separated and I walked, with the map in front of me, to building four. I saw others hanging their jacket next to the door and I did the same. I noticed that a lot of students were pale, so my skin wouldn't be notable. Before entering the room, I took a deep breath. _I can do this! _I was lying to myself. I was nervous as hell but I couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was because I was actually really _alone _now. not just lonely but alone. On my own. For a split second I thought that I had made a wrong decision. But I quickly shove it away. _No! I'm happy to live with Charlie now, I just need to make some friends? Yeah...that's going to be difficult I think._

I headed towards the teacher's desk and took out the little paper - Mrs. Cope told me to let it sign by my teachers. The balding man gawked at me a little too long for my liking and his thoughts weren't very appropriate either. Disgusting actually. '_Hmm. Must be the new girl. Nice body…if I were younger I would do….' _I blocked him out not wanting to know what was coming next.

After a minute or two, he send me to a chair in the middle of the room. Great. Just fucking great. A lot of my classmates were looking at me, curiously. They all knew who I was. Most off the boys were thinking about how pretty Bella and I were. I had to admit, it stroked my ego a little. The girls were generally thinking about why the guys kept looking over at me and that I _wasn't_ pretty. There goes my stroked ego. It was quite weird. In LA there were sure people who were thinking like this, but they had seen me grow up. They had seen what an abnormally klutz I am, so I wasn't in their interest any longer. Not that I minded though. I kept my gaze on the table, pretending to be reading in my book.


	5. Chapter Four

**A/N:**

* * *

The bell rang and I hastily gathered my books, when suddenly someone stood behind me.

"Hi, you're Melodiana right?" a female voice said. I spun around, luckily able to keep my balance, and was met with a shy, but genuinely looking girl. She had black hair which she had tied up in a knot – just like me - and she wore glasses. She smiled.

"Just Melody." I managed to squeak out. _What the hell happened to my voice? _The students who were surrounding us turned around. I felt an awful blush creep up to my cheeks.

'_oh! She's shy too! It must be pretty awful, on her first day here.' _It surprised me that this was the first person with sincere thoughts. I smiled back at her.

"Okay. I'm Angela Weber. Do you want me to walk with you to your next class?" she asked. I liked this girl, maybe we could be friends. I nodded and we walked out of the room. We found out that we were in a lot of classes together, and I felt kind of relieved. At least I knew somebody now.

"So, it's a lot different than Arizona, huh?"she asked me. I could hear in her mind it took her a lot of courage to talk to me.

"Yeah, but I have lived here before. I just miss the sun."

"Well, summers here are sunny, but not warm."

"I think I would already be happy if I'm able to see the sun." I giggled and she joined me.

"You don't look very tan though." She asked. _oh fuck, there you have it! Think Swan!_

"Yeah,...my mother is- was part albino.." I mumbled, hoping she would take it. She thought it was kind of odd, but didn't ask further.

We stopped in front of the door, hung up our jackets and went inside. I had to sit alone again, but I didn't mind.

The whole morning went on like this. At Trig, which I shared with Bella, I had to answer a question and I answered wrong. I already hated Mr. Varner because of the subject he taught, but he let us both introduce ourselves and me being, well..me, stumbled over my words and stood there blushing cruelly crimson.

After a few classes, I began to recognize several people. Angela suggested we meet up for lunch and together we walked to the table where her friends sat. as soon as we neared it, I saw Bella sitting next to a few girls grinning like a fool. Apparently she already had a new clan. We sat down and everyone stared at us.

"Hey, this is Melody. Melody this is…" she began introducing them while I listened to their thoughts.

"Jessica Stanley." _'Okay..apparently we have both new girls here…Ough! Bella does look better.. at_ _least Mike doesn't ogle her.'_

"Bella, but you obviously know each other."

_ "_Lauren Mallory" _'toddler.'_

"Eric Yorkie" '_hmm..they're both pretty_…'

"Mike Newton" '_Hot stuff number two! Which one is going to the dance with me? maybe both…then we coul-' _

"And Tyler Crowley" _'Nice! Finally some hot chicks in this town'_

They all greeted me with 'hello' or 'hi' or whatever. Then they went on with their conversations. I plucked absentmindedly at my sandwich, trying to block out the babbling of people in my head. It was difficult though.

_'Edward! Isabella is looking at you!' _

I shot my head up in Bella's direction and saw she was staring at something intently. I followed her gaze and my eyes landed on the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen in my life.

They were with five of them. Two girls and three boys, al sitting there in the farthest corner of the cafeteria, just staring at nothing in particular. One of the boys was huge. From the spot where I sat, you could see the muscles taut, of course my eyesight did help a lot, and his short cut hair was dark. The other boy was leaner but also quite muscled and honey blond curls framed his face. The last boy was boyish, lanky and less muscular than the other two. I was quite mesmerized by his hair. It was bronze colored and unruly, like he just stepped out of his bed without combing it. Or maybe it had a life of its own? It was sex-hair I was completely sure of that. The girls were opposites. One was absolutely beautiful. She looked like she just stepped out of some magazine. Her hair was blond, wavy over her back. She had a figure that made me feel horribly self-conscious. The other girl was smaller, but still taller than me. Her hair was spiky and short, sticking in every direction. She looked a bit like a pixie. It made me snicker a little. There was something about them, I couldn't place a finger on.

"Who are _they_?" Bella asked Jessica. Before Jessica turned to look at the beauty's, I could already see in her mind that she knew whom Bella was referring too.

_'Edward Cullen, God he's so hot!'_

Suddenly after I heard Jessica thought, the boyish one, looked at Jessica. Like she said his name out loud. He looked completely bored and uninterested. The next second he looked at Bella. She quickly ducked her head and blushed a little. Then he faced me. I gasped, holding my breath and blushing like I was a bomb, about to explode. He frowned but kept staring. I wanted to know what he thought so I concentrated. _What the…!? _I heard nothing. This time it was my turn to frown. He was still staring at me intensely and I growled in frustration. "Fuck! I can't damn hear him!" I exclaimed, but too soft for anyone else to hear. I looked away from his stare, but I was positive I saw the whole table look up, shocked. I thought we had hold each other gaze for what seemed like an half an hour, but it wasn't even a whole minute.

"That's Emmett, Alice and Edward Cullen and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. They all live together with Dr. Cullen and Mrs. Cullen." Jessica explained to Bella. I stole a glance at the table again, seeing Mr. sex-hair looking at his tray. His lips moved fast, like he was speaking to the others. I decided to join the girls' 'gossip'.

" They are very…good-looking.." I struggled with the biggest understatement of the century. Jessica turned around to face me. Both Bella and Jessica arched and eyebrow. Then they spoke at the same time.

"Melody, they are Fuck Hot!" Bella said.

"They're awfully sexy!" Jessica told me. They both giggled and Bella snuck a glance at the table again. It was clear she had a thing for Mr. sex-hair. _God! What's with the nickname already?_

"But, they 're all together though. Rosalie and Emmett and Jasper and Alice I mean. And they _live _together. That's freaking weird!" I looked at the table again, seeing the pixie-girl look at me. my face flushed again. Bella, whose mind told me she was very curious about one boy in particular, asked further.

"Which ones are the Cullens? They don't look related.."

"Oh! No they're not. They are all adopted kids. And the Hale's are foster kids. The doctor and his wife are pretty young, they're in their mid- thirties. Anyways, The big burly one is Emmett and he has something with Rosalie, that blond girl next to him. Call them Bear and Goldilocks." They both snickered at the nicknames.

"The blond guy is Jasper, whom is Rosalie's twin brother, and he has something with Alice, the other girl. Call them Cowboy and Pixie. " they snickered again, trying to contain their laughter.

"Have they always lived here? " I asked Jessica. I guessed not since I came here almost every summer, I must have noticed them.

"No! "her voice laced with venom. They obviously weren't accepted here. "They just moved here two years ago from Alaska. " she finished.

I looked at the table again, examining them. Then the youngest looked up again, this time with his eyes full off curiosity. like he was trying to find something in mine. I desperately tried to control my breathing, crimson blush and violently beating heart. Turning away from his gaze again.

"Who is the boy with the reddish brown hair?" I peeked at him through my lashes and found him still gazing at me.

"That is Edward Cullen. He's single. But don't waste your time, the guy doesn't date." Jessica's face turned into a scowl when she remembered how Edward turned her down after several times of asking him out. I bit my lip form laughing out loud. I looked at Edward again, seeing his head turned away but noticing his cheek was lifted. He must be smiling too.

"Call him Hottie Hair by the way!" she exclaimed, smiling again. Bella seemed to like the nickname too.

I tried desperately not to laugh. Were they actually serious? I would die from embarrassment if they called me like that! I shook my head to clear my thoughts. After a few more minutes, I saw the Cullen's leave the table. They all walked incredibly gracious, and you didn't need high sensitive vision to see that. It was ridiculous! The boy named Edward didn't look at me again.


	6. Chapter Five

Since Bella and her newfound friends stayed pretty long at the table, I decided to walk with Angela to our next class. Advanced Biology. I was pretty young for someone in Junior year. I just turned fifteen, but nobody knew. Humans were supposed to think I was seventeen already, which wasn't easy to pull off since I still looked like I was thirteen. But I was way too smart for my age. And since Adam and Scarlett were doctors, Biology was easy as breathing for me.

We walked into class together and when we entered the room, Angela sat down behind a black lab-table. She obviously already had a partner. In fact, all the tables were already filled, but two. I saw Alice Cullen sitting behind a desk and she smiled at me. _'Squea! She's having to sit next to me!'_ I also saw Edward Cullen sitting on the opposite side of the classroom, also in the back.

I walked towards the teacher to let him sign my paper and he send me to the seat next to Alice. I was beet red again and I actually didn't know why. I headed towards the desk, and sat down next to her.

"Hi! I'm Alice. you're…Melodiana, right?" she asked me. I saw that her eyes were charcoal black, it was weird since humans hadn't such dark eyes. I decided to let it slide.

"Just Melody. And nice to meet you." I murmured. I've always been the shy one in my family. I was still crimson red and I hated it. The next second I saw Bella walk into the room. That's when things got…strange.

When Bella entered the room, I saw Edward visibly tense up. His body went rigid and he gripped the edge of his desk. Our teacher send Bella to the seat next to Edward. She stumbled in his direction. Stumbling is something Bella never did. Ever. I glanced at Edward again. His facial expression was furious, angry. No scratch that, it was murderous. His eyes were pitch black and he didn't breath anymore. I tried to hear his thoughts, but it was useless. Bella sat down next to him and suddenly began sniffing her hair. Normally, I would laugh my ass off, but this was a really dangerous situation.

Suddenly I wasn't in the present anymore. What I saw was horrifying. I saw Edward Cullen, kill every student in this room in less than five seconds. He bit them. I saw my own body lying lifeless in a pool of blood. Then he bit Bella and drained her. When he dropped her body, his eyes were a terrifying crimson red.

I was back in the present again and everything seemed normal. Except from Alice.

'_Edward! control yourself please! Don't do this!' _What the hell was happening here!? I looked at Alice in shock. She looked back at me with questioning eyes.

I grabbed my stuff as fast as I could and headed straight for the door, ignoring Mr. Banner's requests to come back into the classroom.

When I got to the Roaring Beast, I was breathing heavy, trying to wrap my mind about what just happened in that damn classroom. I was thinking that I was getting paranoid. Psycho maybe? _Psychic…Oh My…_I think Alice is some kind of psychic? That she can see the future? I was determined that I was just going crazy, but I was beginning to doubt that fact. It struck me that everything I saw, was from the place where Alice sat. I had even seen myself death, which was scary as hell. I thought about this for a few more minutes, but decided to wait until I had more information.

"What happened? Why did you leave the room?"Bella came walking over to looking irritated. Relief floated through me because she was still alive. I moved away from the Roaring Beast.

"I felt suddenly nauseous, so I headed for the bathroom. Then I thought the better of it and got outside to get some air." I was good at lying. I did it all the time. I had debated with myself to tell Bella. But that wouldn't be the best decision. She would find out about me.

_'Damn Cullen! Why the hell did I do wrong? Why did he look so angry?' _ I was hit with images of Edward staring daggers at Bella. I must admit, it was terrifying. She obviously didn't like it that he handled her like that.

We still had to hand in those papers at the secretary. Together we walked across the parking lot, which already began to fill with other students again, and entered the building.

There, in front of the counter stood nobody less than Edward Cullen himself. I defensively took a stance in front of Bella. Even though what had happened earlier, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. When the door closed, I saw his back tense up and slowly he turned around to face us. Every color in Bella's face disappeared . I instead blushed like crazy. What was wrong with me? We both heard him talking to Mrs. Cope. Soon became clear that he wanted to exchange biology for another class. It didn't matter to him which one, but to stay away from biology. Bella was already thinking it was her fault and I couldn't blame her. Mrs. Cope informed Edward that it wasn't possible so that he had to stay in biology.

"Never mind then" he said hastily in a voice like velvet. "I can see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your help." he turned on his heel without another look at me and disappeared out the door.

We both handed our papers to Mrs. Cope, wished her a good day and went outside again. We hopped in the Roaring Beast and headed home in silence. I felt tears pricking in my eyes, but tried to stop them. I would save them for tonight before I was going to sleep. At least, if I could sleep.

We both stepped out of the truck in silence. Bella's mind was full of hatred and confused thoughts. The hatred came from the fact that Edward Cullen had been awful to her. The confusing was for _why_ he had been. She didn't understand. Neither did I. Or I did. I was confused as hell. I was debating if what I saw in Alice's mind was real, or I some figment of imagination. I was hoping for the latter, but the idea of some mystery in Forks, seemed appealing to me. The thought frightened me. I never was someone who looked for danger and violence. I always stayed on the background. Invisible.

Bella and I separated ways and I went for my bedroom. I tried to make homework but it was difficult. My mind was a crazy madness. After a half an hour trying, I gave up, tossed the books aside and stared out of the window.

I didn't know how long I had been staring, but at some moment Charlie stuck his head through the door. Normally, I would hear him thinking something from downstairs, but I was so dazed out I apparently hadn't heard him at all.

"Hey, are you okay? I called you many times, but no reaction." He asked. he looked a little concerned. He didn't really know how to handle the situation when _it_ was going to happen. He thought _it_ was happening now. '_oh no! please don't phase now! what am I going to do? Call Fio-' _

"Dad I'm okay. Just..tired and …thinking. I think I dazed out for a minute here. Sorry." I lied, but I didn't want him to worry too much. I followed him down the stairs and we ate together.

Bella thought were a whirlwind. It made me dizzy. She was thinking about strategies to make Edward Cullen like her. Apparently, even though what Jessica said, she wanted to take the gamble and try to date Edward. She was thinking about ways to make him talk to her. At first they were innocent, but she began to think about a way to seduce him. 'S_hould I go all sexy woman on him, or sweet and innocent?' _she was thinking about him as if he was a subject or something.

After dinner, we watched some TV for a while. There was baseball and I felt a little homesick. Nathan and I always watched baseball with the boys…I decided to watch with Charlie before I went for bed.

Later that night, I stumbled upstairs. I undressed myself, put on a shirt and let myself fall against the soft mattress. The baseball game had distracted me for a while. But now I was lonely and had nothing necessary to do, my mind started wandering again.


	7. Chapter Six

**A/N: Hi! What did you think about the 'first sight' of Bella and Meldoy with Edward? Any suspicious things? ;)  
****Anyway: We move on to the next and I'm curious what you'll think of this. I'd love to read your reviews! they mean a lot to me!  
****I'd like you to know, that this story is wholy complete! it's not on here yet since it takes time to rewrite the wrong parts before I post it on here. I'm writing along the whole saga, so there will be three more parts! Part two [so the fanfic of New Moon in thsi series] is already far along and reaching it end! **

**Moon Girl Saga - A Twilight fanfiction:  
-Moon Girl [Twilight]  
- Starless Sky [New Moon]  
- Thunder Striked [Eclipse]  
- Lightning Rises [Breaking Dawn**

**Yeah, I know i'm getting a little crazy with this, but keeps playing around in my head you know?**

**All right; enough tlakign from me! Enjoy reading! ****x**

* * *

The next day at school was awful. I did fell asleep last night, only to wake up several times during. Each time I tried to get to sleep again, I would wake up gasping for breath. The whole night a red-eyed demon was chasing me in my dreams. Or should I say nightmare? At four o'clock this morning, I gave up trying to sleep and was thinking about yesterday's events again. My nightmare made my theories about the Cullen's more appealing. But I still wanted to know more details.

Another reason why I hated today, was because Mike Newton was following me like a dog the whole freaking time. I guess he liked me.

The worst part of the day was, that Edward Cullen didn't show up at school. At all. I surprised me I felt that way. Why did I bother about a guy who obviously was a myth? I didn't know. I never expected the feelings of remorse when I didn't see him in the cafeteria next to his siblings. Why did I care?

I sat there at our lunch table, staring at my food, when a few thoughts struck me.

_'I can't believe he left! It's rude! And I'm sure Melody and Bella Swan officially hate me!' _I looked between my lashes at Alice Cullen. She was scowling and pouting all the way.

_'Thank God, Emoward didn't lost control yesterday! He would've freed our secret. I don't want to move again!' _Rosalie Hale looked annoyed. She did look annoyed pretty often. I desperately wanted to know what secret she was thinking about.

_'Geeez, what a wimp! He left us only because those new girls are his singers. Lucky for the little one she wasn't as close as the other. He would've have drained her without a second thought.' _my eyes got wide in shock, staring in the direction of Jasper Hale in disbelief. I seriously needed to know what the hell their secret was! What the fuck are singers?

_'Poor Neddy. Does he finally think he is going to find his true love, appears she to be a human and his singer. And we don't even know which girl it is from those Swan kids…Oh boy! A human girl for a vampire can't be good!' _I choked on my soda at that last thought. I was right! I wasn't imagining things yesterday! Angela clapped me on my back and I coughed my throat dry.

"Melody, are you okay? Why did you choke?" Angela looked worried. I took a deep breath and spoke to her, staring at the table in the far corner of the cafeteria.

"Nothing really, I just took a way to big gulp from my soda. I'm fine." I was still staring darkly at the Cullen table, my eyes charcoal black.

_'Seriously, the girl needs to be more careful. Choking on soda? She barely even drank.' _I could hear in Emmett's thoughts that he was worried. Worried about me? Why?

'_Why is she so…anxious? Or is it anger? Shock maybe? Hell! She's an emotional whirlwind! Just like our Emoward…' _Jasper was rambling in himself. It piqued my interest. Did they have weird gifts too? I needed to find out. I felt weird. On one side, I was scared shitless from what I discovered a few minutes ago, but on the other hand, I felt… hopeful? Hopeful because there were more freaks with weird things in Forks. It made sense actually…

The bell rang and I got up from my seat. Angela and I walked to our next class, PE. I truly loath PE. It's not just dangerous for me, but also for my classmates. I always managed to hurt them in class in LA, so it would make no difference here. I was silently praying the First Aid team would be on the side line to catch the victims, but it wasn't actually the case. Damn!

Angela headed for her own class and I walked towards the dressing rooms. I quickly entered the door and looked for a empty space for me to dress for class. While I untied my shoes, my mind wandered back to what I'd heard in the cafeteria earlier. They were vampires. I had seen Alice's vision, and Emmett's thought was the confirmation of my theory. I already knew they weren't human and yes, I had thought about superhero's with kryptonite and stuff like that. And in the back of my mind was this theory, vampires. I didn't want to think that. It was impossible. Until I saw Edward draining Bella in the vision. I still refused to believe it, but now I was certain. They actually were Vampires. I needed to find out more, maybe even call Scarlett for extra information. I wasn't going to let this slide. I wanted to know more about the Cullen's. I wanted that Edward Cullen came back.

Gym was horrible. I managed to hit a few others with my badminton racket, hit Mike Newton in the head with a volleyball and tripped over my own feet. A lot.

I exited the school and walked over to the truck. Bella was already standing there, thinking about the same thing I did. Edward Cullen. I didn't know why, but something about him, and not the vampire part, made me want to know him. He was mysterious, an enigma I wanted to figure out. It gave my stay in Forks a new challenge. Maybe I could found out more about them if I studied them, read the myths and legends….

Suddenly it struck me that_ I_ could be the reason he left. Because_ I_ came into town. And because_ I_ apparently made his control loosen. Did he _hate_ me? I thought back to yesterday, to the way his charcoal black eyes, stared at me with intense hate and fury. A shiver shot down my spine.

"How was your day? Mine was,..cool." Bella broke me from my thoughts. I looked up at her, since I was very tiny, and though for a moment. My day was simply weird and a bit shocking, but I couldn't tell her that. I chose for half of the truth instead.

"It was fine. I had a great time with Angela today." I smiled a little. We both were thinking about a certain boy, or vampire or whatever he was while we drove home. Bella parked the Beast in our spot and I hopped out. Seriously I needed to grow in length! I looked like a thirteen year old.

I had dropped my jacket and shoes in the hallway and got to my room to finish my homework. Because I had a lot of lesson material in L.A already, I was done in less than twenty minutes. I snuck out of my room and knocked on Bella's door.

"Yeah? Come in." she answered and I opened the door. I saw her room for the first time, it looked quite like mine, but with subtle differences. Bella's was painted Mauve Purple, with wooded accessories, but the way of decorating looked like mine, but only like it was mirrored. Her window looked out over the front yard, while mine looked out over the back yard. It was actually funny.

"I was thinking, maybe we should make a cooking schedule? Dad can't cook and I don't want to eat pizza and beef burgers every day, so.." I suggested. Seriously, the man lived on microwave meals and junk food. Time to learn him eat the great stuff!

"Yes, that's a good idea! Do you want to start tonight?"

"Yeah, I already thought about making some Lasagna?" I let it sound like a question, even though I already had the ingredients in the kitchen. Bella thought about how lasagna would taste from a real Italian, if I could cook. Well, I was going to prove that, since my family in LA craved my lasagna. The shrew taught Scarlett how to make it, and she taught me. I was just placing my Lasagna á la Melodiana in the oven, when the front door opened.

"Hey Girls,…what's that..smell?" Charlie walked in placing his holster in the highest shelf above the peg in the hallway. He looked a little suspicious when he noticed me placing food in the oven. Must be my the shrew's fault. She always cooked crazy stuff, I guess he never tasted her lasagna or never saw me making it. I chuckled at his facial expression and shook my head.

"Hi Dad! How was work? I making lasagna for tonight! Hope you like that?" I asked him, taking my oven-mittens off and placing them on the counter.

"Lasagna?" '_like your Mom made it?' _

"Yeah, Scarlet taught me how to make it and now my siblings all beg for extra portions if I'm cooking!" I laughed a little, but I didn't really liked the fact he brought _her_ up, even though he just thought it. He didn't asked aloud because Bella wasn't supposed to know. Hell, she didn't even knew I had a whole family back in LA. Bella thought Scarlett and Adam were my foster parents, but in reality they were my siblings. She also didn't knew about the kids. My cousins. So many secrets, and I couldn't talk or ask about it to anyone here. Unless…if I'd become friends with the Cullens? I promised myself I would do some research tonight.

Charlie just smiled at me and suggested to set up the table. While he did that, I went for my bedroom to pack my stuff for the next day of school.

Twenty minutes later, the only thing you heard – well, what Charlie and Bella heard - were forks and knives scratching against the plates. We ate in silence, nobody saying anything. Until Charlie decided to ask us about school.

"So, did you like school? have you made any friends yet?" he asked while cutting a big piece from the lasagna. Bella answered as first.

"Well, I've met a girl, Jessica, she's really nice and a boy, Mike. He's very friendly too. I sit with their friends at the table with lunchtime. Everyone here seems pretty nice." '_with one outstanding exception.._'

"Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley? They're good kids. Nice family either. Mike's parents own the sports shop in town. Good place for hikers and campers." Charlie replied. He was a little worried about the fact that one of us, or even both was going to have 'boyfriend-things' dragging around. I mentally laughed about his weird thinking. He turned towards me.

"And you? Have you met anyone yet?" I told him about Angela and that I sat at the same table as Bella did. He was pleased by it, that we 'got along'. I just left him be. Then, out of nothing, Bella asked about the Cullens.

"Dad, do you know the Cullen family?" she asked hesitantly.

"Dr. Cullen's family? Sure. Dr. Cullen's a great man."

"They… the kids… are a little different. They don't seem to fit in very well at school." she stated. I didn't know why, but Bella was anxious to know about the whole family, not just Edward. the name send a shiver down my spine. Why?

"Stupid people in this town," Charlie muttered.

"Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he gets here," he continued, he began talking louder.

"We're lucky to have him — lucky that his wife wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community, and all of those kids are well behaved and polite. I had my doubts, when they first moved in, with all those adopted teenagers. I thought we might have some problems with them. But they're all very mature — I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for the children of some folks who have lived in this town for generations. And they stick together the way a family should — camping trips every other weekend… Just because they're newcomers, people have to talk." He finished. It was the longest speech I'd ever heard Charlie make. He felt the need to protect them. I was going to ask him about that some day.

Bella immediately backpedaled.

"They seemed nice enough to me. I just noticed they kept to themselves. They're all very attractive." She said. Well, that's the understatement of three centuries. Charlie chuckled.

"You should see the doctor," Charlie said, laughing now.

"It's a good thing he's happily married. A lot of the nurses at the hospital have a hard time concentrating on their work when he is around." With that conversation ended, and we finished dinner in the same comfortable silence we started in.

Charlie and Bella suggested to do the dishes since I had cooked. I went for the living room to hang around on the couch en read some. I loved reading books about supernatural stuff. Like wizards, fairies, monsters, everything. Even though I always get relaxed after a reading session, I still felt restless after two chapters. I needed to clear my head, or out my feelings. I felt confused and I wanted to get it out. Maybe I could call my siblings? I was positive they would be very happy to hear from me again, but I was a little taken aback by if I should tell them about the 'Cullen' issue. I decided to go against that, and just have happy-talk with my family.

"Dad? Do you mind if I call Scarlett? I promised to call once in a while." I yelled in the direction of the kitchen area. I heard his thoughts first before he answered me.

'_Tell them I love them and let your cousins know I said 'Hi''Hiiihsgwh? I miss them so much..'_ "Yes, that's okay! Let her and Adam know I said 'Hi'!" he yelled back a second later. I hopped form the old red couch and grabbed the phone from its hook and dialed the number. It went over three times before someone picked up.

"Casa Swan, with Scarlett Bright? " I giggled at her answering.

"Casa Swan? Are you serious? That's my line!"I giggled through the phone. I needed to talk a little softer since I needed to watch out for Bella.

"MELODY! Oh honey! How are you? We miss you so much here!" she screamed into the phone, and I felt the lump in my throat, laced with guilt, returning.

"I'm fine here. It's nice to hang around with my father again. And I miss you too.." I said, my voice cracking. I hated it to pretend. I wanted to go all Sister giggles with her and laugh, but I couldn't. If I did, hell would break loose, and I wasn't in for that. Scarlett and I talked for a minute or two. After that the phone was passed through the house, and everyone had a chance to speak to me. I tried to keep my voice a low as possible, but it was hard sometimes. Denim wanted to know if had spotted a hot car in town already, the boy was obsessed with cars, and I told him about the silver shiny Volvo I had noticed. He gave me a lot of details about the car and I just listened to him, finding comfort in hearing his voice. Even though Denim was my little Nephew, he was like my little brother. And so were the girls my nieces, my sisters. Denim and I got along really good, since he was only two years younger than I was. Always fun with him around. Still talking about the silver Volvo, he was interrupted by Faith and Alana. They missed me at school and were highlighting me about the latest fashion trends in LA. At last I got Adam on the phone.

"So, little sis, what about we go visit you in a while? Maybe next school break?" he asked. Adam was kind of the 'leader' of the family. If there was a decision to make, he always had the highest word. If there was something wrong, he was the one to calm down the others.

"You would do that!? That would be so great! I'll ask Charlie and then I'll let you know okay?" I kind of squealed through the phone. I couldn't stop the tears this time.

"Great! now…how's..your…any changes lately? " I heard him stumbling. He knew I didn't like this topic of conversation, but It had to be discussed. I hesitated.

"No… not that I know, no big changes. But thanks for asking. And If I notice some, you'll be the first to know." I managed to say. I lied a little maybe, but it was time to figure things out on myself. And next to that, I didn't want to tell my theories about the Cullens just yet. Scar will get worried and I don't want that to happen.

"Deal." He said, I could hear the smile in his voice. I told him to say 'Hi' from Charlie and then we said our goodbyes and hang up. That night, I got upstairs and fell asleep, exhausted.


	8. Chapter Seven

A/N: Wow! i truly love your reviews and I'm astonished that you guys liek this so much! i do get a lot fo response in my own country but never expected this! Awesome!

I'm curious what your thoughts arwe about this chapter!

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During the rest of the week nothing special happened. I got my schedule in my head by now and didn't need a map or guide anymore. By the time it was Friday I already could recognize several people and knew most of their names. My classmates in PE knew they had to look out for my clumsiness and not pass me the ball or walk to close to me. Everything went fine and I had been quite busy all week. Except for one thing.

Edward Cullen didn't come to school. At all.

Every day – both Bella and me – we would look in the direction of the Cullen table, only to find just four of them there. And every day, I was tense and would only relax when I was sure nothing would go wrong. I carefully searched their minds, just to be sure. After this week, I was definitely sure they actually _were_ vampires. But they were way different than the myths told people. Despite the fact that they were inhuman and maybe monsters, I already knew what features they had. How they were like.

Alice was always very enthusiastic, and she could kind of see the future. She had visions regularly, but I never understood them. They changed every time.

Rosalie was a very vain woman. She was beautiful and she knew it. She obviously didn't like me nor Bella, and wanted us to leave. Sometimes she would think vicious comments, like she said them to us, but not knowing I could actually hear them. I was kind of frightened of her.

Emmett was a joker, just like Nate. He was very strong and liked to play wrestling games with jasper. I noticed he didn't care about what he was, and just enjoyed his life.

Jasper was a little strange too. But that could be because he was thirsty the whole time. It was exhausting. Every time he thought about it, I got thirsty and tense too. like he could control me. It was weird.

About Edward Cullen, I never had a chance to find out about, and I never would. His mind was completely silent to me. Not even a whisper. It confused me to no end. It confused me even more that he didn't show up. and the worst thing was, that I was so bothered by it.

I was yanked from my thoughts when Mike asked me if I wanted to join them for a trip to La Push in two weeks. I didn't really wanted to go, but I told them I'd join them. It wasn't like I had something better to do. The rest of the day went on without anything special and before I knew it Bella and I stood by the truck again, reading to leave for home.

"Are you going to do anything special this weekend?" Bella asked out of the blue. I turned my head to look at her.

"Uhm.. I think I'm going to Port Angeles, maybe shop a thing or two?" I answered. "You?"

"Jess, Lauren and I are heading to Port Angeles as well, but we're going to the cinema, but that's at night and I guess you aren't going out on your own in the evening." She said to me. her words made me feel like a little kid who couldn't take care of herself. It was probably her intention to make me feel like that, and I let it slide this time.

That Saturday I had driven to Port Angeles with Charlie's cruiser. He sat next to me and let me drive. He had to go for PA too, because he needed a new pair of shoes. So we went together. Charlie wasn't super fashionable, not that I was, but he didn't look that bad.

We came back home with a few bags after our shopping trip. Charlie had a new pair of shoes and a plaid shirt I insisted him to buy. He looked great in it. I had bought a complete new outfit. I'd found a pair of blue jeans with gaps and frayed edges, a pair of green Chucks – it made me think of Forks – a black long-sleeved shirt and a cute little bow for in my hair. The following Sunday I just hung out in my room, playing the piano, reading or drawing. Bella had made dinner for the three of us and in the evening we watched a baseball game. I could say I officially survived my first weekend in Forks.

When Bella and I entered the school parking lot on Monday, a lot of people greeted us. I couldn't tell who was whom, but I recognized other by face. Bella went for Jessica and Lauren and I was stuck with Mike, since Angela wasn't there yet. it was pretty cold this morning, but it didn't rain, which surprised me. It had rained the whole weekend. I made small talk with Mike while I waited for Angela. Together we headed for class. We had a pop quiz about a few books, which was very easy. I realized I felt pretty at home here. Of course I missed my siblings dearly, but with my Dad and Bella things got pretty well.

After the first few classes of the day, we headed outside for the cafeteria. That's when I noticed white puffy things were falling from the sky, into my hair. Snow. Cold, watery snow. I didn't hate it, but I didn't really like it either.

"Awesome! It's snowing!" Mike and Angela were both enthusiastic about it. I read from their thoughts it must be the first time this year.

"Awesome? It's cold." I replied. Mike shot his head over to me thinking I was crazy.

"You don't like snow!?" Angela asked in disbelief. I shrugged and said. "Not really, no." we walked further to reach the cafeteria where we met up with Bella, Jessica and Lauren. Together we got in line to get ourselves food. I saw Bella look in the direction of the Cullen table. Before shock filled her mind. I followed her gaze and stopped dead in track myself. There were _five_ people at the table. I quickly looked back to Bella to see hear ears red and her face flushed. I looked back to the table again, and saw Edward looking at Bella. I suddenly felt a little nauseous. I sighed picked out a sandwich and followed the others to the usual table. I felt like crying. Why? I didn't fucking knew.

The whole time I tried to look elsewhere than the table in front of me. Bella looked at her feet. It shocked me that she was afraid of him. But yet excited to see him again. A weird combination.

We arrived at the usual table where we sat every lunch. I tried to take a seat where I wasn't forced to look at the Cullen table. But it was to no avail because Lauren Mallory had to sit on the spot I was referring to. Damn! Now the only seat that was left, was across from Bella and behind her, I looked straight onto the Cullen table. Now I was the one with the reddened ears. I sat down and looked at the table trying to ignore the strange urge I had to look up. It was uncomfortable.

Bella, who feigned to be sick, was now hesitating if she needed to overreact or leave it. Mike had asked her twice if she felt okay. '_Maybe I _should _play it up and escape to the nurse's office for the next hour. No that's ridiculous! I shouldn't have to run away. Maybe I can look once…if he's glaring again, I can skip biology..'_

It was strange to see Bella struggling like that. Now I was hesitating myself. Maybe I should look and find out more about them. But if I had any sense of self-preservation, I would stay away. It was impossible.

I, the stubborn being I was, decided against the better and stole a glance at the table on the other side of the Cafeteria. Bella did the same.

They were laughing this time, Edward, Emmett en Jasper had snow in their hair, which was melting. I saw Rosalie and Alice lean away when Emmett shook his wet hair in their direction. Bella thought it looked like a scene from a movie, and I couldn't agree more with her. I studied them again, like I had done more times last week. I examined Edward more thoroughly. There was something different, Bella noticed too. She couldn't pinpoint what it exactly was, but I – with my supervision – could name the differences and their reasons for it. Except from one.

His skin was little less pale than I was that first day, the dark circles under his eyes weren't that obvious anymore. But there it was, that one thing I couldn't place. His eyes.

"Melody, where are you staring at?" Jessica intruded my examination, her eyes following my point. At that same moment, his eyes flashed over too Bella's, then too mine. Bella dropped her head, letting her brown waves enclose her red face. I had no place to hide. I sat there, flushed crimson, with wide-eyes. I swallowed and cleared my throat uncomfortably. I was lost in the intensity of his astonishingly beautiful golden eyes. The way his thick lashes enclosed his shaped eyes was beautiful. He was beautiful. It was like I could see his soul through them. I was sure I wasn't so lonely anymore. because, he had those same eyes as I had. He had the same features as should have, he was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my poor human life.

Then I quickly searched for my backpack, trying to find a reason to _not_ look at the handsome guy on the other table. I felt dazed. Like I was flying high. I didn't understand the feeling in my chest. The longing to go over to them, straight into his arms and to never let go….No! you can't! They're dangerous, he's dangerous. I shook my head, trying to concentrate again. I heard the bell ring, announcing us that it was time for class. When I opened my eyes, he was already gone. Now I only needed to survive biology for today…


	9. Chapter Eight

A/N: Because this story is, like I once said before, aleady finished, I'd like to post the chapters faster after one another.  
Hope you guys don't mind! ;)

[by the way; about the shops that are mentioned; they probably do not exist but i'm not american or english so...^^"]

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As I was on my way for Biology, Bella suddenly hit my shoulder. I spun around to face her, her mind didn't told me what she wanted.

"Can we switch seats today?" she asked hopefully. I frowned at her. Why would she want to switch,..oh right. Edward Cullen. She must be really afraid of him then.

"Why?" I asked anyway, not that I minded sitting next to him – I'm not that fragile - but the way she behaved was utterly ridiculous.

"Oh, I just want to sit next to Alice for today." _'Edward freaks me out and I don't have sexy clothes on today!' _ right... now that is clearly enough for me. I decided to play the game along with her.

"oh, right sure. We should as Mr. Banner if he's okay with it." I already knew it wasn't going to happen – Banner never wanted anyone to switch seats, because he couldn't remember his students' names.

"Thanks!" Bella exclaimed, relieved. 'You're welcome' I thought devilishly.

I hung my jacket on the hook, and entered the door. Bella waited for me at Mr. Banner's desk. I joined her and she immediately spoke up.

"Mr. Banner? Is it okay that my sister and I change seats?" she asked in a sweet voice. Our teacher was a little mesmerized by the sweetness of it, but he held his own rule.

"I'm sorry ladies, you have to stay with your lab partner for the next few weeks. After that we switch. " Bella felt nauseous and swallowed thickly before she went for her seat. The seat next to her was still empty but that wouldn't it be for long. Alice was already seated in her chair and smiled at me when I came close to the table. '_Edward, you need to stop worrying about it and just enter the room. Everything is going to be all right, trust me.' _I must say that she had a weird thinking. Like she actually said it to him. I sat down, pulled my books out and began decorating the boring wrapper of my biology book. I sensed Edward entering the room and tensed up. Alice was trained on his movements and I was too. He sat down and turned to face Bella. She had noticed him but feigned to ignore him.

"Hello," his musical, velvety, voice said. She looked up, stunned that he was speaking to her. For a second I was distracted by his wet hair. Like he just finished a commercial for hair gel. I snapped out of it and focused again. His face seemed open and friendly, but his eyes told otherwise. Like he was scared. It was strange. Vampires didn't have to be scared for humans, it had to be turned, humans were their prey.

"My name is Edward Cullen," he continued. " I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. So, you're Bella Swan?" Bella's mind was spinning. She could place it. _'had I made up the whole thing? He is perfectly polite now.'_ she swallowed.

"H-how do you know my name?" she stammered. He laughed softly and my insides did those crazy flip-flops. I hated it.

"Oh I think everyone knows your name, the whole town waited for you and your sister to arrive here."

"No, I meant why did you call me Bella?" she asked stubbornly. He looked confused for a second. _'Edward, you didn't call_ _her by her full name'_ Alice mentally rolled her eyes at him.

"Do you prefer Isabella?"

"No, I like Bella, but my Dad calls me Isabella behind my back, so everybody knows me as Isabella." She felt uncomfortable and looked away.

"Oh." Edward said. He frowned and looked in our direction, probably seeking for Alice's help. His eyes met mine again and I dropped my already red head. I was caught staring. Damn it!

"Okay, class. Today we're going to do a lab about mitosis with unions. Follow the instructions in your textbook, and get started."

"Do you want to go first?" Alice looked at me and I shrugged.

"You can go first if you like." My voice was small and fragile. She just picked up the first slide, and studied it. At least, she pretended to. She'd done this lab a lot of times already. I found myself guessing how old she must be.

"It's prophase." She stated with her tinkle voice. She slid the microscope over to me and I took a quick look too. off course she was right, I had done the lab already in LA.

"You're right, prophase. Could you give me the next one?" she gave it to me but over fingers touched. She gasped, I didn't. her skin was ice-cold, mine just a few degrees warmer. That's I didn't shrew away. I was hit with visions again.

_"Melody!? Where are you!?"a loud thunder crack disturbed the silence in the woods. It was dark outside and raining. "Melody!? Please! Come back here!" he ran through the forest, bumping trees and obstacles out of the way. "please, please, be okay! Please! I can't lose you! Please!" more running and screaming, until he saw a small body laying in the grass, bleeding._

Alice and I both gasped, I saw Edward tense and he shot his head to mine. my hands shook and I tried to control it.

_'We'll talk to Carlisle about it, now don't go acting weird. Keep up the charade.' _

"I-it's anaphase." I stuttered, still shocked from what I had seen. Alice looked too, and agreed with me. _'smart girl.' _

"the last one is Interphase. You want to check it?" I looked at her and shook my head.

"No, I believe you." I wrote it down on our worksheet and I sat back in the chair. My mind was trying to figure out what I had seen. It had something to do with me, that was for sure. The voice that screamed my name, was sealed in my brain – I could recognize it from far distances. It scared and thrilled me at once. A weird combination.

"So, you like it so far in Forks?" I looked up to see Alice's chair angled to me.

"yeah, it's nice to be with my dad again. I don't really like the weather tough." It was easy to talk to her, like we knew each other for years. Like I needed to tell her the truth instead of a stupid lie.

"Why? You don't like rain? I must admit it's not really good for your shoes. They get drenched." She grimaced at the thought of her new Prada shoes, soaking and covered with mud and dirt.

"Yep, you're right. I hate it when my shoes get soaked. It's slosh-y. "I chuckled a little. _'such a sweet girl she is! I need her to go shopping with me once!'_ Edward's head shot up, to glare at Alice. I pretended not to notice, but I saw anyway. _'Aw Edward! why do you always need to take away my fun! I want some friends too.' _

"Do you like shopping?"

"Ehm…yeah, I went last weekend with my father. In LA I went shopping every Saturday, after I got back from the beach." I smiled broadly as her golden eyes lit up.

"You need to go shopping with me someday! Oh wait! The school goes to Seattle at Valentine's Day! Then everyone is allowed to go shopping!" I giggled at her enthusiasm. I liked Alice and I almost forgot she was a vampire. Almost. She still hadn't killed me, nor had Edward killed Bella. There must be something different about their lifestyle, or they weren't able to live between humans like this. I also needed to know what exactly happened in her vision. It was creepy, I needed to prevent it. The question was; how? If it was written in the future, I suppose it was my faith to end this way. The thought angered and saddened me. I didn't want to stop living. I needed to admit, that I'd had my depressive times. Times when I felt so lonely, that I felt I didn't belong with someone else, that I had to spend my forever on my own. I was past that now. something, in the very back of my mind, told me it was going to be okay. That I indeed was going to have my own happy forever after. With whom was still sort of a surprise. My thoughts flickered to Edward for a split second.

No! Stop, now! What was wrong with me? I couldn't control my emotions these days. Like I was a pregnant woman or something. And that was definitely not the case – I was fifteen and still a virgin. Humans didn't understood this. It was always like 'why don't you go and bang someone, to just lose your virginity?'. Well, how about this: I wanted to wait until I'd found the love of my existence, my soulmate, my equal. They didn't understand.

"Yeah, sure, if you don't mind having me close to you, that is." I answered. I saw her eyes narrow for a second and tried to read her thoughts, but she blocked them. How did she knew how to block them?

"Off course I have no problem with that! We could go to TheJeansFactory, or to Victoria'sSecret! It's going to be so much fun!" babbling and clapping her hands, Alice kept talking about those cute shoes she'd seen. I smiled and laughed with her. Why did they have to be monsters? the same kind of monsters who took my mother from me? I was begging to whoever was there somewhere above they were different than the red-eyed demons. I shivered.

The bell rang and I gathered my books. I was just pushing them in my overloaded back, when someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around a gasped in horror at who stood there.

"Melody, I wanted to introduce you to my brother." Alice gestured with her tiny hand to the tall Adonis next to her. I looked up, higher, to face him. He swallowed. I swallowed. The burning eyes again.

"Hello," his voice was so quiet and shy, but yet beautiful and strong, "I didn't introduce myself last week. Bella told me about you. I'm Edward Cullen and you must be Melodiana Swan, right?" the corner of his delicious mouth curled up on one side. I was like a jell-o. Breathe in, breathe out, think, breathe out, NO! it's breathe in, breathe out! Answer him you moron!

"I-I….Uhm…yeah?" sure, let him think you're incapable of talking like any normal person could. Is began blushing crimson again, and saw Edward swallow again. His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared slightly. It was that I knew what they were, but somebody else would've thought he was creepy. Well, he was creepy. And right now, he was doing anything in his might to control the urge to tear open my throat and drain me. I decided to rescue him.

"Uhm..it's nice to meet you..Edward. I, eh, need to go. Don't want to be late for PE." Okay that was a huge lie. But I felt the need to make sure he was okay, even though I didn't trust him. I grabbed my bag from the floor, slung it over my shoulder, managed to stumble half, waved, and made my way out of the room.

"Miss Swan! How nice of you to join us today, even though you made it an half an hour later." Well, Coach Clapp didn't sound nice at all. I hurried towards him. _'such a shame a girl with a body like that, is as gracious as a donkey.'_ Yeah, it wasn't far from the truth, but thanks.

"All right, is there anyone who wants to team with Miss Swan today?" he asked the group. I already heard the dismissive arguments in their heads. But then we always had Mike, my hero on socks.

"Coach, I'll do it." He jogged towards me, and the coach handed me a badminton racket. I followed Mike to the back of the sports hall and we started a miserable game of badminton. I just hoped he would survive it.

PE was dangerous, as usual. I'd managed to hit Mike with a tennis-racket, again, and I tripped a lot. My sisters were all graceful women. All beautiful, confident and smart. You could call me the black Swan, instead of the sheep. I was smart, but nerdy, I wasn't at all graceful and I wasn't extremely beautiful either. Sure, I was pretty, I read that in a lot of thoughts. But it was different. I wasn't the girly-girl type. When I was younger, I liked playing with dirt and mud. I liked running through the rain. I liked playing football even though I always tripped over the ball. Maybe that was the reason that boys didn't find me attractive enough. I would never find someone, because he couldn't be human because that would be impossible. Why? Because I was no human.

"Hi, how was PE? Did you kill anyone?" Bella chuckled. She knew that I was way too clumsy and she also heard every detail of my fails from her friends. I suppose I had to live with that for the next few years.

"Nah, Mike got a few hits with the racket though…" I stated, frowning. Bella shook her head. _'Mike is hot. Maybe I should go on a date with him…but Edward is hotter...he would be so much better in-' _ I shut her out. I felt furious in an instant. She wanted to do WHAT!? Was she insane? Which stupid girl, wants to lose her virginity to a vampire? Bella, obviously.  
Me too... DANMIT! Quit the daydreaming Swan! I was going crazy. I shook my head and felt the blush slowly sinking away.

We got in the truck and Bella started the engine. The thing roared to life, like it always did. Three cars from ours, I saw the pale-white vampire boy, standing next to...I could've known…the shiny Volvo. Bella noticed him too and she quickly left the spot, almost hitting another car. I saw Edward laughing.


	10. Chapter Nine

I woke up the next morning after a rather good sleep. The night before I'd lain there, thinking and trying to figure out what Alice's latest vision meant. Every time it send my spine shivering. I stretched and rubbed my eyes. Slowly, I got up from under the warm duvet and walked over to the window. It looked lighter and I was hoping for some sun. when I opened the lacy curtains, I grimaced. There, everywhere, was a thin layer of snow. Nice. The worst thing was, that the rain from yesterday was turned into slick ice. I had trouble with walking without Weatherly circumstances, but with would be deadly for the people in this town. It was going to be a long day.

I stumbled half asleep into the bathroom to take a shower. Today, I decided to wear dark baggy jeans, a grey shirt and my grey with white Adidas sneakers. That'll make a change. I did wear Chucks a lot, but I had enough other kinds of sneakers. I just love sneakers. After I had gotten out of the shower and dressed, I did my hair. I created soft wavy curls with the curling irons and stuck the tresses into a pony-tail. I went back to my room to grab my bag, and hopped down the stairs.

"Morning, little one..." I was met with a sleepy Bella, eating her breakfast in the kitchen. She looked worn out.

"Morning. Are you alright?" I asked just to be sure. She hadn't slept at all last night. Her thoughts would wander off to someone in particular. Good thing I slept well, since I didn't really wanted to know _what_ exactly she was thinking. I was positive that, _that_ part of her mind wasn't for minors.

"Everything is fine…I just feel so awfully tired." She answered while she stood up from her stool to put her dishes in the washer. I grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and filled it up with cereal and milk, before I sat down on my stool. Bella and I talked for a bit about unimportant facts and things and after we'd cleared the table off breakfast leftovers, we went for the truck. We stepped down the porch, Bella a little ahead of me, when suddenly Bella tripped on the ice. She fell backwards and her back hit me. I couldn't get any grip and slipped too, shrieking. My head hit the ice covering the porch steps and Bella fell upon my stomach, which softened her fall. My head hurt like hell and I squeezed my eyes too clear my vision. Bella pushed herself up from above me and stood up. I moaned when a painful sting shot through my head.

"Melody!? Are you all right? Say something please?" _'oh god! Please don't tell me I made her unconscious! '_ I sensed her by my head now and immediately felt her hand close to my right eye. _'Oh help me! she's bleeding! What to do?'_ bleeding? Was I bleeding? I slowly opened my eyes, adjusting the light from the morning sky. Bella's face was hovering over mine, with a concerned expression.

"Are you okay?" I knew she was fine, I just asked to be sure. Bella let out a relieved sigh, happy I had said something. I sat up gently squeezing my eyes again. Now I not only say the blood covering the ice next to me, I smelled it too. That was something I'd never been capable of. I decided to find out more about that later, since the blood was actually seeping out of my head.

"I'm fine. I'm just startled. I'm so sorry! But, we need to see a doctor or something, you're bleeding pretty bad. " she winced. When we were younger, I found out she got nauseated when she smelled or saw blood.

"yeah, well…we have a first-aid kit in the kitchen. Dad gave it to me, since I do trip and make accidents a lot." Bella chuckled and shook her head, " And Scarlett taught me how to treat a wound, so.." Bella nodded and helped me get up from the sidewalk. I felt a little dizzy from the smack but eventually made it into the kitchen without any other accidents. I grabbed the first-aid kit from its place and opened it. Bella handed me a towel to dab my injured head. It was a nice gesture and though since she couldn't stand it to be near blood. She cleaned my head while I cut the bandage and band-aid tape.

After making sure the white band-aid was on the right place, we got outside again, more carefully this time. Great. I was going to school and the first thing everyone would see, was this huge white thing on my forehead. Well, better this than being drained by a vampire.

We drove upon the parking lot and found a spot at the end. We were a little late because of my little accident fifteen minutes earlier. Bella cut the engine and we both got out. I jumped, she stepped. Bella was wondering why the drive was so easy, even though the road was slick. I walked around the truck and saw her crouching down. I did the same. She smiled at me and when I saw the tires, covered with snow chains, we concluded there could only be one person who did that.

"Charlie" we said in unison, laughing because of it. we were just standing up and about to walk up to the building, when I heard a loud, screeching sound. Then I was hit with a vision again of a blue van skidding towards me and my half-sister. I saw how it crushed us against the truck. Blood covering the metal pieces of both vehicles, heart wrenching screams and a lot of pain. Alice. Edward. I turned my head, only to see it happen right now, in front of me. Everything happened so fast. I saw Tyler's van racing towards us, I saw Bella in shock an dead in track next to me. I saw Edward Cullens pained face. I quickly pushed Bella behind me, to prepare for the force of the impact against my tiny, but strong body. Then, out of nothing I felt something cold hit my chest. I fell backwards, my head hit the side of Bella's Chevy truck, before I fell on the wet street beneath me. I blinked once, twice, seeing Edward stopping the van with his bare hands, while grasping Bella's arm, before everything went black.

"Melody? Melody! Wake-up! please!" I heard Bella voice softly urging me to open my eyes. I felt pain, pressure and confusion. Before I could begin to think about it, I remembered. I just had an accident. Oh. My. God. I just had a damn accident. My eyes flew open, only to see a worried Bella and a tensed up Edward who was clearly holding his breath. I was bleeding. And he stood there, hurting himself. I sat up, slowly and shook my head. Around me, I heard a lot of screams and yelling. In search for any caused danger of exposure, I read from the human minds they thought we were completely dead. They hadn't seen Edward to my relieve.

"Oh thank god you okay! I was so scared!" Bella was on the edge of crying but held back, she didn't want to look pathetic in front of Edward.

"Yeah…apart from my head I'm just fine…" I was slurring. Maybe I had hit my head a little too hard. Bella sat back against the truck, waiting for the minute they would free us from the small space between the two vehicles. Edward was still tense and I decided to rescue him. Again. Very soft and low I spoke to him.

"Edward," his head shot up and I paused, checking Bella in the corner who was looking pretty irritated, before moving on," try to think about your biggest wish or something you truly love. It'll help." He looked at me incredulously. We both looked each other deeply in the eyes, when I noticed him relax a little after a minute. I smiled shyly, blushing. He flinched a little and I knew exactly why. Suddenly, the van was shoved away from us, creating space again. I still sat against the truck in a rather unnatural position. It wasn't very comfortable. Bella stood up, quickly, and waited for the first aiders to free us completely. Edward stood up too, looking at me wanting me to get up on my feet too. I wanted too, but my legs wouldn't move. my head was still swimming from the impact it had made already. what a way to start the day.

Before the handsome vamp could do something to help me, the people from emergency were already kneeled in front of me. They packed me up on a stretcher and before I knew it I was placed into an ambulance. Bella and Edward weren't packed up, but they had to go to the hospital to make sure they were okay.


	11. Chapter Ten

**A/N: Hi! thanks a lot for the reviews! the next chapters are being edited and placed on here.**  
**Hope u like! and please leave a comment ^^ **

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When we arrived at Forks Hospital, they immediately began doing test and x-rays. It wasn't even necessary to do such a thing. I had only hit my head. Okay twice. Okay it hurt and I was a little dizzy, but that actually made sense. Even though I didn't like it, I listened to the nurses and let them play with me and my head.

After all the tests, they brought me back to the ER. They placed me next to Tyler Crowley, the driver of the van that almost crushed us. I read from his mind that he felt really sorry and he kept apologizing numerous times. Bella came to sit next to me on the hospital bed and she tried to tell Tyler it was all right. We were still alive and nothing was broken. Well, I thought nothing was broken. After another ten minutes of apologies and nurses to check me, I let myself fall backwards against the bed closing my eyes. Suddenly, I heard his voice.

"Is she sleeping?" he whispered. I fought of the urge to open my eyes and look at him. I decided to pretend to sleep while I watched him through Bella's eyes.

_'Why does he concern for the baby kid? She's fine…' "_Yes I think so." It was weird to be in someone's head like this.

"Are you okay?" the angelic voice asked again, his golden eyes smoldering. Bella's thoughts fluttered for a moment before she was able to answer.

"Yes I'm fine. She's too. Thanks to you." _'I should just flirt with him. It's normal to do so after a handsome guy saved your life!'_ Bella batted here eyelashes, in a way she thought was seductive. Edward swallowed. Okay maybe it was seductive. They just stood there for a moment, saying nothing. I chose too 'wake up' that moment. I pretended to move a little, let my eyelids flutter and then I opened one. Edward stood there, grinning and I was wondering if he'd seen through my little stunt. I continued to act and stretched my arms, rubbing my eyes and then sitting up slowly. I arched an eyebrow, showing I was confused.

"Hey, how do you feel now?" Bella had turned away from Edward and was looking at me. I was sure I looked absolutely fabulous. Right. So not the case.

"Yeah…I feel pretty good actually. Something I tried to tell all the nurses in here, but they won't let me go.." I was getting a little annoyed here. I was ,apart from the cut in my head and a few cuts in my hands, physically fine. I already knew my x-rays didn't show anything serious either, so I thought I could leave.

"Don't worry, I came to rescue you." Edward's velvety voice spoke up. I looked at him and then followed his nod in the direction of the doors. A blond man walked through. His skin was pale-white and his eyes were also honey-colored, just like Edward's. Both Bella and I supposed this must be Edward's father. Bella gasped at his beauty, I didn't. I was still annoyed that they wouldn't let me leave the damn hospital. I just had a thorough hate for hospitals.

"Well, Miss Swan…" he began. When he looked away from his clipboard and saw us, he chuckled. The same magical chuckle his son had. I heard Bella sigh and I inwardly laughed my ass off. She was fancying Edward and his father. That was just wrong.

"Let me get this straight, which one of you is..." he looked at the papers in his hands, "Isabella Marie?" he smiled and looked at me. I subtly saw Edward shaking his head no. the movement was so small no one else would've noticed. Bella just waved, letting the doctor know she was Isabella Marie. She mentally scolded that he'd called her full name in front of Edward.

"All right, Isabella, how do you feel? Are you dizzy, or nauseas, or anything else?" he asked her still smiling lightly. The man seemed really nice. I wondered why he was able to work in a hospital in view of the obvious grounds.

"I'm fine. No dizziness or nauseas or anything like that." The doctor walked over to her, examining her skull, she winced slightly.

"tender? Edward told me you had hit your head pretty hard." In his mind the doctor told Edward exactly what he was doing. It was still strange. They all seemed to think this way. Like they said it to him.

"a little, I've had worse."Bella scowled at Edward, who pretended not to notice. The doctor stood up again.

"All right. You can go home with your father, he's in the waiting room. You can also wait until I've examined your sister. that's up to you." He smiled again. Bella said she would wait until I was done.

"Well, you must be Melodiana then! How are you feeling?" he came to stand next to me and began examining my wounds.

"I feel fine. My head hurts a little, but I think that's pretty normal since there's a wound there, so…" I shrugged and blushed. I wish I could do something about my shyness around people, especially when they wanted the blood that rose into my cheeks. The doctor however didn't seem to be affected or uncomfortable by the way my blood rose. Maybe he had a great amount of self-control or he was immune for human blood. I would find out someday.

"Your X-rays are okay too, nothing serious. It is possible you'll feel dizzy in a few hours though. You made a surefire hit against the truck." I just nodded.

"Well, lucky us Edward pushed us out of the way." Bella shot Edward a death glare, but he wasn't intimidated by it. he just ignored her.

"Oh, well, you are extremely lucky then." The doctor answered. Bella's intuition flickered. '_He knows!' _ while doctor Cullen signed the papers, and I made sure I got off the hospital bed without breaking anything, I heard Bella talk to Edward.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" she seethed. Edward didn't look very pleased. I kept tying my shoes.

"your father is waiting for you. " he said, his jaw clenched. I climbed off of the high bed.

"I'd like to speak with you alone, if you don't mind." She pressed. I was waiting for doctor Cullen to give my papers so I could leave.

"Fine." Edward almost growled before he turned around and strolled out of the ER space with Bella hopping behind him, trying to keep up. I watched them leave and sighed, shaking my head. I heard a chuckle from behind me.

"Your sister is quite mad at him, isn't she?" I spun around to see doctor Cullen with an amused expression on his face. I couldn't help but smile back, but not without blushing off course.

"Yeah, something like that." I held out my hand and he took it and we shook them. "Thank you, doctor Cullen." I said sincerely. "it was nice to meet you, Melodiana." He said back. With that he gave me the papers and I left the room to go look for my dad.

I passed the hall way and caught Bella and Edward having a heated discussion. Walked back around the corner so they wouldn't notice me. I placed myself into Bella's head so I could follow their conversation.

"What do you want?" he asked, sounding annoyed. His eyes were cold. His unfriendliness intimidated her. her words came out with less severity than she intended. "You owe me an explanation," she reminded him.

"I saved your life — I don't owe you anything." she flinched back from the resentment in his voice. "You promised me, remember?" Bella was determined to know what happened.

"Bella, you hit your head, you don't know what you're talking about." His tone was cutting. Bella's temper flared now, and she glared defiantly at him. "There's nothing wrong with my head." He glared back.

"What do you want from me, Bella?" his expression was aggressive and I flinched.

"I want to know the truth," she said. "I want to know why I'm lying for you."

"What do you _think _happened?" he snapped. Bella's observations came out in a rush.

"All I know is that you weren't anywhere near me —Tyler didn't see you, either, so don't tell me I hit my head too hard. That van was going to crush us both — and it didn't, and your hands left dents in the side of it — and you left a dent in the other car, and you're not hurt at all — and the van should have smashed my legs, but you were holding it up…" she could hear how crazy it sounded, and she couldn't continue with her story. I must've missed a lot of it after I blacked out. Bella was getting so mad I could feel the tears coming up. She tried to force them back by grinding her teeth and clenching her jaw.

He was staring at her incredulously. But his face was tense and defensive.

"You think I lifted a van off of you?" His tone questioned her and my sanity, but it only made Bella more suspicious. It was like a perfectly delivered line by a skilled actor. She merely nodded once, jaw still tight.

"Nobody will believe that, you know." His voice held an edge of derision now.

"I'm not going to tell anybody." She said each word slowly, carefully controlling her anger. Surprise flashed across his face. "Then why does it matter?"

"It matters to me," she insisted. "I don't like to lie, so there'd better be a good reason why I'm doing it."

"Can't you just thank me and get over it?" his expression cold and hard again.

"Thank you." She said quickly.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"No."

"In that case… I hope you enjoy disappointment." And with that, he spun on his heels and walked away. Bella began clenching her fists. In then spun around herself to find Charlie. I snapped out of her thoughts and concentrated on where I was. I made my way back to the foyer again, trying to find the right route. Then I heard doctor Cullen's thoughts.

_'She is pretty, just like Alice told me. But that is Isabella so the other is the one from the vision? Am I right Edward?'_ only a second after I heard doctor Cullen's thoughts, I saw Edward slowly but unnoted, nodding his head through the doctor's mind. How in the world…? No! that's impossible! He couldn't…

_'So if I'm right, the blood of both of them calls to you, especially that from Melody?'_ Edward nodded again without anyone seeing it. _'then how were you able to not kill when she started bleeding in front of you?'_ Edward watched his father closely, his eyes telling him not to start about it.

I couldn't believe this. That was why all his siblings thought towards him, not about him. Just like my father and siblings did with me. He could read minds. Just like me. I gasped loudly and Doctor Cullen, Edward and Rosalie Hale turned around, they saw me. I stood there with wide eyes before I turned around and ran away from them, fighting the tears that threatened to spill over.

"Melody! There you are! We were looking for you. What did Doctor Cullen say?" Bella and my Dad had stood up from their seats and came walking up to me. before I'd went back to the waiting room I'd been to the ladies room to make sure I didn't look like I had been crying. Which I did. Awfully violent and I didn't have a clue why. Thank God they didn't notice, even though I met up with them an half an hour later after I ran away from the Cullen's. I cleared my throat, hoping my voice wouldn't crack, before I answered Charlie's question.

"He said I was fine, nothing major. I need to come back at the end of this week so he can remove the stitches in my head. That's it. I can go home now." I shrugged. My voice indeed cracked a little but not that much I had expected it too. Bella came to stand next to me.

"Come on. let's get out of here." And she winked at me knowingly. Yeah, apparently we shared our great dislike for hospitals.

"Girls, I think you should make some calls when you get home…" _'maybe I shouldn't have done it..'_ "Bells, you should call your Mom. Melody you should call the Brights.." with quite a force I turned around and faced my very uncomfortable looking father, scratching his scalp. No, he indeed shouldn't have done this. Now I needed to call my over worried sister and assure her I was alright for what could takes hours. It did the last time, but what happened then was ten times worse.

"You called my mom!" apparently, Bella also didn't like it. She slammed the door of Charlie's cruiser a little harder than I would. I slammed to, but with much less aggressiveness.


	12. Chapter Eleven

A/N: Yeah, shorter part..don't worry though, longer chapters will surely follow! :)

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As soon as we got home, we took turns calling. Bella had been on the phone with Renee for at least and half an hour. I thought I would break the record, though. After my now irritated sister handed me the old phone, I dialed the familiar number. They picked up on the second ring. Someone had been waiting for me to call.

"Please tell me you are okay! What happened! Are you in pain! Melody!?" my oldest sister was ranting like a madwoman and I mentally sighed.

"Scar, I'm…,"before I could even finish my sentence, I was rudely interrupted by my dearest brother.

"Don't tell me you're fine! What happened? Dad sounded awfully upset when he called." Nathan sounded angry through the phone. I imagined his face with it, all crunched up, his jaw clenched and his sharp teeth bared in an all too dangerous smile, which wasn't funny at all.

"But I am!," he wanted to interrupt me again "No, no, no ,no! I wasn't finished yet! Bella and I were on our way to school, just like every morning, but today the road was slick with ice. Before you go mad at that fact; Charlie placed snow chains on the tires. Bella and I were checking that out and then…" I wanted to say it, all of it. but I couldn't bring myself to bare their secret. It didn't seem fair to me. "I saw a van skidding towards us, "I dropped my voice to a lower and softer pitch, "I made Bella stand behind me and prepared myself for the impact. Then one of my classmates pushed me out of the way and I made a smack against the truck…." I heard my brother whimpering and I understood it must be hard for him not to be here to check upon me.

"Melody please tell me you didn't use any superpowers close to Bella and that classmate of yours!" my brother was getting frantic and on the background I heard several shocked reactions from the others.

"No, I didn't! And don't be such a drama queen Nate!" I was getting angry now. Why did they always treated me like I was a baby, capable of nothing.

"Then how in the damn world did you stop the fucking van!" Nate had raised his voice and started cursing. That wasn't a very good sign. I maintained my posture and kept silent during talking.

"I didn't, he did." I all but half-growled through the phone.

"Who is he? How did he do that?" his tone was derisive now, clearly not believing me.

"He had an adrenaline rush. Google it. He stood close by, jumped in front of us and stopped the van with his hands. Happy now?" I hissed at him. He was silent for a while.

"Are you hurt?" he asked in a low voice. I leaned back against the counter and slowly caressed my forehead in a soothing manner.

"Yes, but only a little." I replied softly. Suddenly I heard something crack loudly. I gasped at the sound.

"Melody, it's okay don't freak out now. He got outside to lose his anger. And..he broke down the door…" upon hearing Adam's voice I relaxed slightly.

"What are the injuries this time, dear?" Adam always spoke so neat, ancient actually. It must have been from the time he came from.

"There's a huge cut near my temple and my hands are covered with smaller cuts, but nothing major. No bone fractures or inner bleedings, nothing." It was silent for a while again, and I heard him walking away, saying the others he wanted to talk to me alone for a minute.

"Look Melody, there is something you're not telling me. you're hiding something. Don't worry I won't pressure you to tell me, but I want you to know that if theirs is something you don't understand about being a hybrid, you can ask me anytime okay?" I flinched at the word. Hybrid. I preferred the monster, but let's be nice towards my family.

"Okay, I'll tell you when I'm ready for it…I just can't right now." my voice cracked with the tears that had fallen. I hated those crying jags.

"Good. Now, how is it with the…you know..?"he struggled to ask me. Everyone did. Scars. It used to be a word to make me paranoid, but it didn't anymore.

"it's fine. There not even red anymore, they look less angry now." I answered tracing the lines of the huge scars that lay under my shirt.

"That's good to hear, baby sister. I'm going to hang up now. you should eat." I chuckled at his care for me. Scarlett and Adam were like parents I'd never really had. Not that Charlie wasn't a good parent, but Adam was there when Charlie wasn't. I just saw it as having four instead of two. I said goodbye to my siblings, whom wished me a 'get well soon' and when Adam hung up I just stood there. everything that had happened came rushing back with an effect like that from an earthquake. I only heard the phone beeping while I lost myself into a world I'd wanted to escape from.

_….Beep! beep! beep!..._


	13. Chapter Twelve

"Melody? Earth to my daughter please." My eyes focused again and I saw Charlie standing in front of me waving his hand. I must have zoned out for a minute here.

"What? oh sorry Dad, I zoned out I guess." I shrugged, pretending like there wasn't some kind of emotional hurricane storming into my head. I didn't want to cause the old man a headache.

"You guess? You were in here for fifteen minutes. You sure you are okay? I can call doctor Cullen if you need anything.." in his mind he let me see what he meant. I saw myself leaning against the counter, motionless, phone in hand and not even breathing. I was happy, though, he had let me stand there without interrupting. I had needed the fifteen minute break from the normal world. Not that the place I went in my head was a happy place to be; it was more like pure hell, but I needed to face my past and try to get over my grieving. I had thought about my mother, my appearance, my siblings, Edward Cullen, _the _accident...I shook my head. I didn't want to zone out again and I absolutely didn't want Charlie to call doctor Cullen.

"Oh Dad, no. you don't have to do that. I was just…you know.. a little lost…I…I was thinking about.._di mia Mamma.." _I felt the traitorous tears welling up again. I tried to force them back but it wouldn't. a loud, painful sob broke loose, my knees lost their stance and my Dad caught me with his save embrace. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I wondered where Bella was, but I was to enhanced in my own grieve and pain that I didn't worry about it so much. Not now. Now It was my time to let go of the memories that had caused me so much pain. Charlie knew something had happened last year and that I was covered with scars. He had visited me for a week while I was in the hospital. He had never heard the true story. We didn't want him to hear such things. How monsters violated his children. How dangerous our nightly hunts were. We wanted to protect him from us, the hybrids, the half-bloods. Another heart wrenching sob shot out of my throat. I noticed Charlie had placed me on my bed. he had brought me upstairs, carrying me with his human arms. He didn't care it hurt. He wanted to make sure I was fine. And he knew I wasn't. Far from it. He let me cry for a few more minutes and when it slowed down to soft sniffing, he spoke up.

"I know you and your siblings don't want to tell me what happened that night. And I've accepted and understood it. But if you don't tell me what's going on, I can't help you. And I want to help you, Melodiana. You're my Baby Swan and I want to help you. I want to understand it, everything. From diets to appearances. Everything. " I blinked the tears away from my eyes and looked up at my father. He looked tired, old even. I felt like a little girl again. When I was younger, the first time Mom left, I'd had a moment like this, too. He let me curse and scream until I had razed out. And it was relieving. But this time I couldn't.

"Dad, I-I know. And I w-wish I could tell you, but I'm not ready f-for that yet. It's so,…" my voice cracked, I didn't recognized it. It was hollow, lifeless. Absolutely not me. I've always been shy, but crazy. Laughing about everything, running around in the rain, singing and dancing like there was no tomorrow. But I didn't do that anymore. I wasn't that girl anymore.

"I know, sweetie, I know. It's hard. Believe me if I say I keep thinking about her too…" Charlie's voice was gruff. I indeed knew he thought about her a lot. I saw the memories, but only the nice ones. Memories of my mother holding each of us for the first time. memories of her taking care of me when I fell, which I did, and still do, a lot. That was great time. A time where no one could hurt me, or leave me a scar. Now I was full of them. I had been scarred. She, our mother, was our angel, our savior. But it was her who hurt us the most, by leaving.

"Melody?" my father asked me hesitantly. He hid his thoughts from me, something he did when he was afraid of my reaction. "Yes, Dad?"

"Can I,…see…your scars?" he looked me straight in the eye when he asked me this, something he never did when he was emotional or pained. He'd never wanted to see them or face this, so the question caught me completely off guard.

"You don't have to if you don't want to…"

"No, Dad, it's okay. I think I can handle it. I just hope you can handle it."


	14. Chapter Thirteen

"I'm sure I can handle it,…I think." Charlie scratched his head uncomfortably. I just sighed and shook my head. I stood up and inhaled deeply.

"All right, Dad….just don't freak out okay?" he nodded and I grabbed the hem of my shirt and tugged it up high and stopped under my bra, baring my flat stomach, covered with lightning-like scars. I heard Charlie take in a sharp gasp. _'Oh my dear God! I didn't knew…this is so..they hurt my little baby girl…' _I pushed the cotton of my shirt down again, hiding the still slightly red scars from his now angered eyes. He was stuck between being utterly pained and being furious as hell. It looked like anger was winning from the pain. His fists clenched and without saying anything he marched out of my room, slamming the door. I was quick on his heels.

"Dad?," the panic in my voice was clear, "Dad, what are you going to do?" he kept walking down the stairs and turned around when he reached the end. The look on his face told me, he clearly couldn't handle this, which I'd been afraid for.

_'I'm sorry, I really am! If I could've stopped it, I would've….'_ His head was the same hurricane now, as I had been through only an half an hour ago.

"Dad,…maybe you should go calm yourself down…take a walk or something? Bella shouldn't see you like this." I was aware of Bella being in her bedroom, having her own mind battle. Hers was about Edward, though. It was a good thing Charlie was thinking instead of speaking; his mind's voice thundered through the empty living room we were standing in. And yet it was completely silent. _'That's what I'm going to do…tell Bella I'm at La Push.'_ With that he marched over to the peg to get his coat.

"Where are you really going? How late will you be back?" my voice was small, afraid. I've never been afraid of my father, there never had been any reason too, but now I feared him. Not because of the way he would act towards me, but I feared his mind. I didn't want him to get depressed or something like that.

"I'm just going to walk along the street and back. I won't be away too long, don't worry." A faint smile tried to light up his strained face, but it fell as soon as it started. I nodded at his reply.

"We'll talk about this when I'm really ready for that. I should've listened to you, though.." the man shook his head, waved, "See you in a few" and left the house. After I heard the click of the door, I lost it. Again.

"Little one? Hel-looo? Anybody down there?" my head shot up when I heard Bella calling out for me. I stepped away from the wall I'd been crying against. Quickly drying my tears, I walked to the stairs and saw my sister standing there with her toothbrush.

"Oh there you are! Why is it so quiet? Where's Dad? Hey, do you have some toothpaste left over? Mine's is empty." I tried to keep calm. I wasn't in the mood for 'hyperactif Bella time'. without saying anything, I walked up the stairs and went in my room to get the toothpaste.

"Yes, here I am. I dozed off on the couch and Dad is at La Push. He'll be back soon. "I said tiredly as I handed her the toothpaste. '_chagrinned much? Ugh! Stupid child.' _She thought, rolling her eyes.

"Anyway, I'm heading to bed now. See you in the morning." Bella rolled her eyes for another round and then walked back to her bedroom to retrieve her toothbrush. Without the brush she wouldn't need the toothpaste right? I stood there for a minute, debating with myself what I should do. I could head downstairs to grab some Tylenol for the pain of that damn wound and go to bed, or I could wait until Charlie got back and then crawl under the covers. I decided the last. I wanted to be sure my father had calmed down after his not so little outburst.

Much later, I sat up, startled. Thank God it had been a dream. It felt like I had relived a déjà vu. Alice's vision. But in this dream, I was the one running and searching for someone, something. Edward. Why in the world did I dream about that? Why would I scream and cry for him? I still didn't understand the feelings he brought up in me. I chanced a glance at the clock on the wall, opposite of me. One AM it said. With a gasp I leapt of the couch where I had fallen asleep on. Was Charlie still not home? Had something gone wrong? Anxious I fled up the stairs ins search for my father. He wasn't here. I got back downstairs ready to go outside and look for him when the sound of a throat clearing scared the shit out of me. I let out a yelp and faced the one who'd made the sound.

"You know, I decided to stay here with you so you wouldn't sleep alone. You seemed to have a pretty vivid nightmare, darling. You okay?" normal as ever, Dad sat in the big fauteuil across from the couch I'd been lying on.

"Christ, Dad! You scared the hell out of me!" my breathing began to go back to its normal rhythm and Charlie chuckled.

"I'm sorry. It looked pretty funny to see you jump from that couch and almost literally fly upstairs, though. I didn't knew you were able to do that at this stage." Realization struck me. Had I really used my speed when I was looking for him? I had. And I could only mean one thing: The path of my change, had begun. Now I needed to find out _whom_ had caused it.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

The following days, everyone kept asking us what exactly happened and how Edward rescued us. Every single time I said the same thing: "Yes, I'm fine. That van came skidding toward us and Edward pushed me away. End story. But people like Jessica Stanly wanted to have a proper gossip to spread around town. Like I needed any of that.

During lunchtime Bella, Angela and I reached our, now permanent, lunch table. Sitting down, I chanced a glance toward the beautiful but strange family in the end of the cafeteria. Just like that horrendous first day, each of them was staring in a different direction. Not looking at anyone, nor looking at each other. They didn't talk, didn't eat, and nobody, not even Alice, looked in our direction. Bella was already thinking she was a pity girl, by her awareness of Edward.

Alice didn't speak to me anymore. Every day I would get an occasionally 'Hello' or 'Hi Melody', but since the accident, she hadn't uttered a word. During Biology, she only said something when needed and I noticed Edward ignoring Bella again. Like he was completely unaware of her presence. I Could tell he wasn't. Now and then his fist would clench against his leg, just like that first day. I was sure they would have a good reason to act like this. Another thing I completely hated, was the fact that Alice kept blocking her thoughts from me. She knew, off course, how to do that. Maybe she was just blocking them from Edward without knowing she blocked me too, or she knew something was up. Sometimes, I eventually caught her studying me intently, eyes narrowed and smoldering.

Bella was already thinking he was regretting it, he saved us from the van. It was a little overdramatic, even though I did think the same way.

After lunch we entered the room for biology, seeing Edward and Alice already in their seats. Edward was 'drawing' on his book. When Bella neared him she offered him a pleasant "Hey, Edward." before sitting down. Edward only nodded his head very slightly, before he went to ignore her again. Bella grumbled and stared at the blackboard. I sat down next to Alice, but instead of Bella, I decided to not say a word. If she could act like this, I could do this too. Loudly, I plopped down on the chair, forcefully I grabbed my books and threw them on the table with a low growl. Then I sat back with my arms crossed. I heard Alice struggle in her mind. Damn it! Thanks Edward! now she really hates me! And I just wanted to have a friend….' I could almost see her pouting. I took it a step further by giving her my best bitch face and looking at her for a few long seconds. Now I just hoped she was going to say something to me. Oh no! now I made a complete bitch of her! Maybe I should just..' before she could think any further, I was bombarded with a vision again.

_Lots of rain. Darkness. Me. Edward. We stood in the pouring rain, facing each other. 'What is it with you?' he asks slowly, driving me near the wall behind me. I take small steps back until my back hits the brick wall. I hear myself laugh icily. 'I know what you are.' When the words leave my mouth, he pushes me against the wall with such a force, cracks from in the bricks. My face is scrunched up. 'What? did you think you could kill me?' I ask sarcastically. His finger lifts my chin, making me look into his golden eyes. Golden into Golden. Ice against ice. Fire consumed into fire. Then, his lips smash against mine, kissing me into oblivion. After a few minutes of groping at each other, we parted, panting. 'if you don't run now, that's exactly what I'm going to do.'_

Alice, Edward and I gasp. I force myself to look at the blackboard. That was just…the idea of Edward kissing me sent jolts of excitement over my spine. 'I just wanted to say 'Hi' to her! Fine, I'll listen to you. This is not over, brother!' even though there was danger in this very situation, I saw Alice smirking wickedly. When I glanced at Edward I couldn't stop the blush heating my face. His eyes held and intense expression I'd never seen. oh hell...

Realization struck me. NOOOO! I was completely and utterly mortified! Edward had seen this. He had seen everything. But, damn, I found myself wanting it to happen so badly.

I was in so much trouble.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

The next week stayed, apart from what happened in biology, the same. They kept ignoring us. I didn't like it. From Alice's mind I'd picked up that they tried to figure out what was wrong with Edward. Apparently he had been acting weird since the day of that vision. I could only think he was this disgusted by the image, that he tried to avoid me even more than Bella.

"You're sure you don't mind?" Jessica asked Bella for one last time. I remembered Angela telling me about this Spring Dance in two weeks. Jessica wanted to ask mike, it was a girl's choice theme, and wanted to know if Bella was okay with that.

"No Jess, just ask him. I think I'm not going anyway."_'I'm only going there if I can get Edward to go with me..' _ Ah, there was it. she wanted to go with Edward to flaunt around and be the first in school to have dated him. Typical Bella. I knew though, that Jessica wouldn't stand a chance; Mike was going to ask Bella just as Eric and Tyler were planning to do. I was their second choice. The next day, Jessica was really quiet. Mike hadn't reacted like she wanted him too. He hadn't agreed to go with her, but didn't say no either. If Bella and me would reject him, he'd still have an option. Mike was just an asshole. It was time for Biology again and as usual, Alice ignored me. I had forgiven her though. She always apologized in her thoughts and wished it was different. I was beginning to think she really knew there was something off about me. Which there was. Bella sat next to Edward and Mike didn't chat as hyper as he'd done the last few days. He was working up the courage to ask her for the dance. I watched their conversation curiously.

"So," Mike said, looking at the floor, "Jessica asked me to the spring dance."

"That's great." _'Shit, if Edward doesn't want to go with me, I'm stuck with the other losers..' _Bella made her voice bright and enthusiastic. "You'll have a lot of fun with Jessica."

"Well…" He floundered as he examined Bella's smile, clearly not happy with the answer she'd given him.

"I told her I had to think about it." _'doesn't she understand I want to go with her?'_

"Why would you do that?" She let disapproval color her tone. His face was bright red as he looked down again. Here we go…

"I was wondering if… well, if you might be planning to ask me." Mike's voice cracked a little.

Bella paused for a moment, feeling her ego rise, ignoring it. I saw Edward's head tilt reflexively in her direction.

"Mike, I think you should tell her yes," she said eventually, eyeing Edward.

"Did you already ask someone?" _'Did Edward notice how Mike's eyes shot to his?'_ "No," Bella assured him. "I think I'm not going to the dance at all."

"Why not?" Mike demanded. _'Because I want to go with Edward, you, stupid!' _Bella quickly made new plans.

"I'm going to Seattle that Saturday," she explained.

"Can't you go some other weekend?"

"Sorry, no," she said. "So you shouldn't make Jess wait any longer — it's rude."

"Yeah, you're right," he mumbled, and turned, dejected, to walk back to his seat. '_Plan B then…'_ his thoughts flickered towards me. Nice. How am I going to turn him down with a good excuse and without hurting his feelings too much? I closed my eyes and pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to relax a bit.

Mr. Banner began talking. I sighed and opened my eyes. Edward was staring at me, curiosity coloring his now black eyes. I stared back, surprised, expecting him to look away faster than possible, but instead he continued to gaze with probing intensity into my eyes. There was no question of me looking away. From my peripheral vision, I saw Bella looking at me, annoyed and awfully jealous. A shiver shot down my spine. The look his eyes hold made me think about the vision again.

"Mr. Cullen?" the teacher called, seeking the answer to a question that I hadn't heard.

"The Krebs Cycle," Edward answered, seeming reluctant as he turned to look at Mr.

Banner. Off course he knew, he'd read his mind to know the question and he'd lived long enough to know the exact answer without thinking. He didn't look at me again, but I saw Bella looking furious in my direction. I looked back and rolled my eyes. Come on, as if there'd be a possibility that Edward Cullen – perfect, angelic and sexy – would like me – clumsy, tiny and childish.

When class finally ended, I started packing my stuff. I saw Edward starting to talk to Bella. He was apologizing for being so rude but he warned her it was better this way; for them not to be friends. Bella fired back by saying he could've saved himself al this regret by saving her life. That wasn't really a good reply; Edward got angry in an instant. Dramatically, Bell turned around and strode out of the classroom. When I looked next to me again, Alice was already gone. I continued packing my stuff when I sensed someone behind me. No thoughts. Edward.

"Melody?" his velvety voice did magical things to my body. It was hopeless. Slowly I turned around, waiting for what he was going to say next. I looked up into his expressive eyes, he looked down into mine. Black into black this time. I wish both pairs could be golden though…

"I'm sorry for being so crude. I wish things would've worked out differently." I didn't know what to say. He was apologizing, yes. But I couldn't read him to know what would work best to say. I bit my lip and averted my eyes from his.

"I understand it, really, but you could've…" I was interrupted by him, voice on edge. "Don't say you're sure I regret saving your life! I don't, believe me. I don't know what would've happened if I hadn't.." His voice trailed off at the end, his face troubled with a pain I'd never understand.

"I actually wanted to say that I'm grateful. I'm very grateful that you saved..us, Edward." there's the shiver again. We stared at one another for a few seconds before he spoke up again.

"How did you know what to do back then? You know, what you said. It helped me, but why did you do it?" There it was; the question I didn't want to answer. I went for the half truth.

"I..I thought you had some kind of panic attack?" my brows furrowed and his face got an amused expression, "And I'm familiar with that, I wanted to help you. Why? Don't ask me why, it just felt right." I simply shrugged, but saying this was really hard. In some way I admitted I felt something – what I didn't know – for him. His eyes twinkled and a grin appeared on his face.

"Funny, actually; the little girl saves the bad boy in school." he began walking out of the room and I followed him, smiling and blushing.

"Funny? I think it's pretty bad-ass!" I smiled broadly at him and he chuckled. The sound made my hearth warm up again. He stopped walking. I turned around.

"I talk to you…later..sometime." he shrugged and chuckled again. I nodded and managed to squeak out a "Bye" before turning on my heel and haste myself to the gym. I was late again. This was going to be so lovely.

As expected, gym was brutal. Not only the coach got mad at me and had me sign up for detention, but I got a soccer ball against my head. Twice. Thank god it didn't hit the huge wound next to my temple. That would've been pretty bad. After gym I made my way out of the building and headed for the truck. On my way out, I was halted by someone standing in front of me. Mike Newton.

"Hey Mike." I said, trying to at least look friendly_. 'I'm sure she's going with me! She likes me!'_ Yeah, in your dreams.

"So, Melody, I was thinking…Are you going to ask me for the Spring Dance?" he was much more confident than when he asked Bella.

"Oh..eh..thanks for asking me Mike, but I'm not available that weekend; my sister's getting married and I need to go there." it was true. Kind of. It wasn't Skye and Chris' first wedding but they wanted to renew their vows. The wedding itself would be in the summer though. Not that mike needed to know that part.

"Oh..well that's a pity." he wanted to pull off he didn't care, but the smile he tried was more like a scowl. "You should ask Jessica! I'm sure she wants to go with you." I smiled, genuinely this time. he just nodded and walked off to his car. All right, that was number one. During my chat with Mike, Eric had tried to ask Bella, who declined with her Seattle tale again. She looked awfully irritated and I couldn't help but giggle. It was actually pretty genius. Tyler was next. Eric stood talking with Mike; he was telling Eric I had a wedding and wouldn't be any close to Forks. Like I'd said once; my hero on socks. When I decided to go back to the truck again, I didn't see it anymore. I only saw Tyler standing next to his new car looking kind of smug. He was fully convinced Bella would go to the Prom with him. Which she never answered to before driving off. Wait? Driving _off_? _Without me!?_ I sighed heavily and stomped of towards the road. It was raining, it was cold and I was getting extremely cranky. The damn bitch just drove off without me! I sloshed through the rain, my purple sneakers were getting awfully wet. She was going to pay for his! Through my angry haze, I didn't notice Alice waving at me at first. My head shot up and my face showed confusion. She stood leaning against the silver Volvo. Edward's car. How..? Oh right; she'd seen this. She waved me over an hesitantly I headed to her.

"Want a lift?" she smiled broadly, her thoughts telling me she was 'allowed' to speak to me again. "Uhm..sure, but where are your siblings? Shouldn't they ride with you?" she giggled.

"No, silly! They're with Emmett's Jeep." She pointed behind me. Across the lot stood a huge jeep, with Jasper, Rosalie, Edward and Emmett himself next to it. They were looking at me. "Come on! get in, I'll drive you home. I'm sure you hate it you're shoes are soaked." A grimace covered her face and I giggled. I went for the passenger seat and opened the door.

"Wait! Isn't Edward going to get, like, fucking fuming about me getting his seats dirty?" before Alice could answer, I heard this bouldering laugh from behind me. Emmett was doubled over, laughing so hard that if he could, he'd cry. Jasper and Rosalie were laughing too and Edward stood there, scratching his scalp very uncomfortably. Then I heard Emmett thinking _'Getting his seats dirty!? Hilarious! Eddie, I'm sure you want her to get your seats dirty! Maybe your bed sheets too!' _I blushed furiously and my brain started make images of me and Edward 'getting his seats dirty'. Edward hit Emmett against his head, looking totally embarrassed. Alice giggled and shook her head. "I don't know where that was about, but I'm sure Edward won't mind." she winked and mentioned for me to get in the car.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Alice Cullen drove through Forks like a maniac. Thank God my Dad wasn't close to see her racing through the streets. We talked about pointless things; shopping, shoes, jeans, dresses, designers. Just about everything a girl talks about. Sometimes I'd catch her look at me closely, a wicked gleam in her eyes. She definitely knew something. I wanted to figure out what, but she kept blocking me. it was extremely frustrating. When I exited the car once we got at my house, I greeted her and she promised she'd see me tomorrow at school.

I entered the front door and called out for someone. "Bella?" normally my voice would be questioning and unsure. Not now. now it was fuming and icy while I spit her name. I heard her voice coming from the kitchen area.

"….Jess! No, I'm not going, sorry. Yes, see you tomorrow! Bye!" she placed the horn in its place and turned around, gasping when she saw me leaning against the doorpost, blocking her way out. My face was murderous - yes I could look like that – and I just stared at her. Bella feigned innocence.

"Hey Melody, what's wrong?" her voice quivered, clearly afraid of my appearance.

"Why the fúck did you drove away without me! What the hell, Bella? Did you think that was funny or something?" I stood in front of her now, one and a half head smaller than her.

"Yeah, well…payback is a bitch. It's not just a bitch, it's for a bitch!" she spat. So we were going to do it this way?

"Did you just glanced in the mirror or something? I didn't do anything wrong so why did I need that payback for?" Bella began shaking with anger. Not very wise – it only seemed to spur my predatory side on. Dangerous.

"You…you…" Bella stuttered, her face red. I raised an eyebrow for good measure.

"Stay away from Edward, dwarf! He's mine! I saw you looking at him, with your stupid tiny face! You're not even pretty!" That was the last drop. I was so angry now, that I couldn't control myself anymore. I hit her, right in her face, my nails scratching her cheek during the process. Her nose began bleeding, so did the small cuts on her cheek. Bella stared at me in shock. I was shocked too. I'd never hit someone like this. I hit Nate sometimes, a playfully slap if he made a joke about my virginity or something else. Forks was starting to make me a violent person. The caged monster was starting to get free. I wanted to get out of the kitchen, get out of here, but Bella wasn't s fond of that idea. Before I knew it, she grabbed me by my arms and started shaking me, hitting me, and then she pushed me against the table. My wrist hit the sharp hook and cut it open. It fucking hurt. I stood up again, turning to face her. The last left over of my human façade was gone. When I opened my eyes to look at her, I was positive they were fire spitting gold. Not the black ones I'd been walking with the last few weeks. Bella noticed.

"What the fuck are you!?" I stalked towards her, but before I could do anything, Charlie flew into the kitchen.

"What the hell is going on here!" he bellowed. His mind starting to take us in. _'What? all this blood…What did you do!'_ his thoughts were directed towards me now. _'Golden eyes! Melody they're golden! And why is your sister bleeding? What. did. You. Do!?'_ tears started to fill my eyes. I wanted to say something, but Bella beat me to it.

"Daddy! She came home and then she started screaming at me! and then I said she should calm down, but she wouldn't listen! And then she just hit me!" she cried. She was making sure Charlie would believe this was all my fault! Charlie looked at me, angry, holding Bella against his chest. This was too much. I quickly walked past them, I needed to get out of here.

"Melody…!" Charlie called after me, but it was useless. I slammed the front door open against the wall and ran out.

I let myself slump down against a large tree. It was twilight now. almost the end of a day. My wrist was still bleeding - even though I had bandaged it with a piece of my sleeve - leaving a trail of blood drops behind me. it struck me that it wasn't very wise. If Edward would catch my scent, he'd kill me. I stood up again and walked a little further, until I reached a small brook. I cleaned up the blood and moaned from the pain when the water hit the wound. It wasn't huge, but it stung awfully. I bandaged my sleeve around it again and fastened it. My phone began ringing for seventh time already and even though I knew it'd be Charlie, I checked the caller ID just to be sure. It wasn't Charlie.

"Hello?"

"Jesus Melody! Are you oaky? Where the hell are you! Dad called and told me you left the house after a fight with Bella? What the hell happened?" it was Skye, my sister. My _real_ sister. I sighed and told her what had happened this afternoon. I left out the temper tantrum that occurred.

"Can I have Adam on the phone please?" I was still walking through the woods, extremely hungry now. it was nine in the evening and I hadn't eaten since lunch.

"Melody? You wanted to speak to me?" Adam replied. I asked him to go outside or somewhere the others couldn't hear what was said. Once I knew he was out of hearing range, I spoke.

"Adam, you have to help me! I don't what's happening!" I was absolutely panicking now. even though I was pissed at Bella for driving away without me, it wasn't a reason to start a fight like that.

"Tell me what's wrong then, sis, only then I can help you!" he sounded desperate. I knew he was worried about me, and this time he had a right to.

"during that fight with Bella, I got a huge temper tantrum. I was losing control and wanted nothing more than to bite something." I explained.

"Tell me you didn't bite Bella!" Adam was tense now. off course he'd assume that.

"No! god, no! I didn't. well,.." I trailed off. I may not have bitten her, but I did violate her.

"Well what?"

"I did hit her. Hard. She has cuts in her cheek and her nose started bleeding." I admitted with a small voice. I felt so ashamed for what I'd done. I hear Adam sigh on the other side of the line.

"All right,..so when you get irritated, and someone, Bella in this case, spurs you on, you get the urge to bite and violate; am I correct?"

"Yes, unfortunately, you are." I kept walking through the woods, hoping I'd find a place to stay for the night.

"Okay, did anything else happen which you think was different or strange?" I rolled my eyes at that. We were strange. And strange things happened here. Vampires with gifts were part of that.

"Yes, Dad saw my scars and eh kind of flipped and then he went for a walk. When I woke up later that night, I thought he wasn't home yet, so I tried to find him. Then he suddenly spoke and said it looked funny to see me flying up the stairs. Which hadn't happened in months." I pinched the bridge of my nose. Seriously, this forest never ended!

"Okay, anything else?" he asked. I needed to tell him, needed to know how I could handle it.

"There's more. I think it could be part of the reason I going through all of this. But I need you to keep It a secret. You can't tell anybody. Not even Scarlett!" I pushed some shrubs aside and entered a meadow.

"All right. I promise, I won't tell anyone. But,..is it that bad?" my brother answered.

"Okay,..don't freak, but," I paused, thinking of the best way to say this, and decided to just go for it.

"There's living a vampire family in this town."


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**A/N: Hi! I'm very astonished about the amount of followers I'm getting! WOW! this makes me so happy! **  
**Here is the next chapter!**

**please review and let me read mind! ;)**

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It was silent for a while – Adam was probably thinking if he knew them. Probably not, but with Adam, you never knew.

"Are you serious?" he whispered through the phone. Meanwhile, I sat down in the meadow I'd found. In comparison to the rest of the forest, it looked peaceful and comforting.

"Yes, Adam, dead serious. I noticed them on my first day at school. they were different. The second day, I heard from their minds what they were. But they are even more different; they're vegetarians. Just like you." I left out the danger that had occurred the first day. It'd be too much at one time.

"Vegetarians hmm..? I can only think of the Denali's in Alaska. You've never had a chance to meet them, but I've told you about them right?" The Denali's were vegetarian vampires. Adam lived with them for a while, to get the same lifestyle.

"Yes, you did. But back to the point; what do I do? Do I need to confront them, or stay away?" I was confused. I was secretly hoping Adam knew them, things would be easier that way.

"Did you have a chance to speak with one of them? Told one of their minds they'd cause you any harm?" he asked.

"Yes, I did. A lot actually. One of them is really nice to me. She was the one who brought me home after the car thing this afternoon. Another one is strange…" should I tell him? "…I can't read his mind Adam. It's so frustrating! The one time he's like; leave me alone, I'll kill you and then he acts like he's so happy to see me. " finally I'd said it. I didn't tell him about their gifts, but this would be enough for now. I heard Adam chuckle softly. "so, you're making new friends? Vamps, huh? Anyway, I think you should just keep things like they are. Don't run, but don't come too close either, not when you don't have enough information about them. And with the changes…well, what about we call on a daily basis?" he asked, leaving the choice to me. if I'd decline, he'd accept that.

"All right that's fine, actually. Maybe this'll help. And what should I do when I get a temper tantrum again?" I was sure that, once this started, it'd happen frequently.

"Remember the 'spell' we told you when you were younger?" Yes, I remembered the same spell I'd rescued Edward with at the accident. I told him yes.

"Use it. And Melody..?"

"Yeah?" my head thumped against the tree behind me.

"I know it's going to be tough, but you're strong enough to endure it. And if it's getting to hard on you, just call and I'll stop by. Now, I need to go. I'll call you tomorrow night at this time all right?" his words sent tears in my eyes again. I missed them and I was wondering why in the world I left my family. But something told me I couldn't go back. As if a strange pull was keeping me here.

"All right, talk to you tomorrow. Bye Adam." My voice cracked with the rush emotions that started flowing. He wished me a good night and hung up.

Now; how do I get home?

Just as I wanted to leave the beautiful meadow, where I definitely was going to visit another time, I heard a twig break. Shit. Please let it be a cute bunny or something, please…

I heard another one, and my senses told me that who or what it was, had come closer. Sweat started to break out and I tried desperately not to go run. It'll only worsen the situation. I saw something move on my right and then, out of the blue, there was someone in front of me. I shrieked and wanted to run this time, but I was grabbed my arms and another hand clamped down on my mouth, silencing my screams.

"Jesus, Melody! You scared the crap out of me! What are you doing here?" When I finally came down from the shock, I saw who it was.

"I…I...I eloped from home." I admitted. The hand around my arms loosened. _'Don't run.'_ I nodded and Alice let go of my arms. I could see her more clearly now, her pale skin shining in the moonlight.

"Why did you…ah, forget it…I know you know something. I know you can read my mind and I know you know I can see the future. So, yes, I know what happened. That's why I'm here." She said. For some strange reason, she seemed very happy with that.

"How..what? Explain please?" I asked her. Couldn't I just live like any normal teenager? Like checking my facebook right now and eating popcorn instead of talking with a psychic vampire in a dark forest?

"I was having those strange visions all the time…and I wanted to find out what they had to do with you. Every time I'd see something shocking, you'd be shocked too. So I studied you and I noticed that how you handle things are similar to how Edward does. So you must be a mind-reader then! And it's true because I just thought to you 'don't run' and you didn't!" she stated happily. I couldn't help but giggle. She could be so happy about things.

"All right. It's true I can read minds..since I can remember." something struck me, "Wait! Do the others know!"

"No, they don't. They don't even know I'm here with you.

"Why not?" I asked. she began walking towards the end of the meadow and I followed her.

"I saw you would go mad and take flight if they did. I don't know what it is with you, but you seem different than other…humans." Alice said. I'd been right when I thought she knew something was up.

"Yeah, well…I could say the same about you..but it doesn't really matter now does it? I mean, we're friends right?" I felt immediately unsure of myself and my theories. I knew what she was, she knew about my gift, even though she didn't know what I was. Yet.

"You're right. And Yes! Off course we are! I like you as a friend, you're cute!" we giggled at her words. Cute. If only her brother would think that…

"Anyway; for as much I'd love to have a nightly chatty with you, I think you should go home? Aren't you hungry? You are! Let me take you home?" her friendly face made me smile slightly and I agreed.

We walked in silence for a while, listening to our surroundings. We were close to Charlie's house now. I could almost smell the pizza that was waiting for me. my stomach growled longingly. Alice giggled and I blushed. When we were across the street from my house, I suddenly panicked again.

"Alice? You're not going to tell anyone anything right?"

"No I'm not. This is our secret. No one's going to know." She said with authority. I nodded.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night Alice."

"Yep, totally! Good night to you too!"I smiled and crossed the street. When I stood in Charlie's driveway, Alice interrupted my step.

"Oh and Melody?" her voice was just at a low pitch, too soft for any human to hear across the street in the dark. I spun around. "If there's anything you want to know, just ask okay? That's where friends are for." She finished. I nodded and she did the same. When a car rushed by, she was already gone with the wind, fast as lightning.

_…lightning…._


	19. Chapter Eighteen

Silently I crept into the house. I knew they were still awake, but I didn't want bounce in and yell 'Dude I'm home and I'm fucking hungry!' yeah, not so wise. I hung my , now wet, cardigan on the heater beneath the peg, untied my shoes without making any sounds and tiptoed on my soaked socks to the kitchen. The kitchen area was dark – after dinner no one used it, if only to get something to drink. I kept tiptoeing to reach my goal. When I got to the refrigerator without any trouble, the lights flew on, blinding me.

"Ow Shit!" I barked, irritated and scared at the same time. I stood up straight and kept staring at the white refrigerator doors, knowing exactly who was standing in the doorway.

"I do not tolerate such a language in my house, is that clear young lady?" I was extremely positive now, my Mum had taught Charlie how be angry like this. His ice cold, low, dark voice, made the hair in my neck stand straight and caused goose bumps all over my body. I was freezing.

I turned around to answer, "Yes, perfectly clear, Sir." My voice still tight from the anger and fear from not even ten minutes ago. Charlie pinched the bridge of his nose, something I did too, when I didn't have anything on the rail.

"Do you have any idea, how worried I've been? What has gotten into your head to run away like that!?" I knew how worried he'd been, he just showed me. it hurt me, he honestly thought Bella was right – that I was the guilty one in this story. Which I was, but not alone. Charlie raged on.

"I've called you twelve times! You could at least have picked up the phone! Where did you go?" I hadn't thought about a tale to tell Charlie for where I'd been. I asked another question instead.

"Where's Bella?" I stared at him, he stared back. I read from his mind, this wasn't over.

"Upstairs. She said she was so shocked about what you did, that she couldn't stand it to be near you when you got home. Is that what you wanted? Did you want to bare your secret? Did you want everyone to know what you are?" that hurt. Deep. "And don't change the subject; I asked you questions, Melodiana!" uh-oh…when your parents start to call you on your given names, you should be careful. When he says 'Melody' nothing's wrong, 'Melodiana' is getting bad. 'Melodiana Helena Marie' is very bad and as soon as 'Swan' is following, it's my cue to run.

"She's lying." I said softly. He hadn't heard me correctly.

"Excuse me? if you speak to me, I'd like you to do that with some respect!" he roared. Damn, if I thought the names were bad; this wasn't very good either.

"She. Is. LYING! She drove away without me from school, without saying anything! I got a ride home from a friend and the only thing I started with was 'Do you think it was funny to drive away like that'!" I fired back. I was getting pissed again and wanted this to be over. Charlie seemed to think about that for a few seconds.

"You're both guilty in this then." He said dryly, emotionless. My stomach growled loudly again and I winced.

"You, sit down and eat something. I'm going to talk to your sister and don't you dare, to eavesdrop! When we're done, we'll talk together and I'll tell you what kind of penalty you're getting." With that he left the kitchen and went up the stairs. I made quick work of the pizza that lay in the oven, left over for me. when it was warm and crunchy enough, I sat down at the kitchen table and attacked. I was trying really hard to block out what was being said upstairs. But, yeah, if they're talking so loud it's quite impossible to do so. Eventually, Bella and Charlie came downstairs. Charlie looked irritated and his mind told me he was clearly disappointed in us. Bella just looked downright pissed at me._ 'I hate her so much! She's stealing my boyfriend! She's so going to pay for this! I'm probably not even allowed to go to Seattle next week!'_ Well, if she hadn't drove off in the first place, this wouldn't have happened. Charlie mentioned for us to sit down next to each other and he sat down in front of us.

"So, let's start with, that I'm really disappointed in you. I know sisters fight once in a while, but that's not meant in the literally sense. Which means no blood, wounds and violence. Bella, it's not fair to just drive home without your sister. she has no vehicle and it's too far to walk." He looked at her sternly.

"Can't she get her own vehicle? A bike or something? I have to wait all the time!" she seethed. She never hated me this much before.

"She can't get sick every two days." He said icily. I could see now why he was cop.

"And you, little lady, you shouldn't have gone mad like that. I don't tolerate it when you go hitting one another. I don't want any of you to get seriously injured. Got that?" I nodded quickly, waiting for the rest.

"Good, now, I'm not going to let this slide. You are both getting a penalization, which includes house detention and chores."Bella and I both moaned at the house detention thing. I truly hated that, but I deserved nonetheless.

"The house detention means that you are home at nights, so no late night dates or friends and you may only leave this house in the afternoon if I gave you permission to do so. Is that clear?" we both nodded slowly, unwillingly. It could've been worse.

"How long do we have house detention?" Bella asked. she'd planned a shopping trip to PA with Lauren, Jessica and Angela and there was the beach trip to La Push with the whole group.

"A month. But if you behave correctly, I'll cancel it earlier. " with that said he stood up, arms crossed over his chest. We stood up too, looking at him.

"Apologize to each other for what you've done. And mean it." he said sternly waiting for one of us to start.

"Sorry Bella. I shouldn't have done that." I said honestly. I felt really sorry what I'd done, regardless the issue. _'No you indeed shouldn't have. This is so not over.'_

"Sorry Melody," she spat ," next time I'll tell you when I leave." She huffed, already deciding she wasn't going to do that. I think I was going to buy a bike at last….


	20. Chapter Nineteen

The next morning, When we pulled in the parking lot – after a silent drive with two chagrinned faces and thoughts – Bella parked the truck as close to the silver Volvo as possible. She hoped he would notice her and start talking to her again. I jumped out of the cab, slamming the door and wincing when I realized this wasn't a really good move for my wrist. The night before Charlie had bandaged it carefully. We'd talked for a bit about my changes. I explained to him that it was really starting now. I also admitted that I can lose my temper too fast. He told me he would keep it in mind. This afternoon I had to go back to the hospital. Dr. Cullen would remove my stitches today. I just hoped the scar wouldn't be too huge. I walked around the car and noticed Bella fumbling with her keys. She dropped them into a puddle of water. I went to grab them, when a white hand flashed in front of me, snatching away the keys. I jerked upright and noticed Edward Cullen, leaning casually against the truck. He stood next to Bella, a grin covering his face.

"How do you do that?" she asked in irritation.

"Do what?" he replied. I came to stand next to Bella. She gave me a look which was quite creepy. _'Why is she standing here? I'm talking to Edward for God's sake! Wasn't I clear enough yesterday?'_ I quickly turned around and walked away from them. Suddenly I bumped into someone. Before I could fall, I was grabbed by my arms and steadied. I looked up and saw the happy face of nobody less than Alice. My friend Alice.

"Hi!"_'Did everything end well?'_ her eyebrows creased. I nodded, "Hi, yourself. Yeah, I do have house detention though. And Bella gladly wants to kill me." My face changed into a scowl, and so did Alice's. She looked at Bella and saw the, with makeup covered, cuts in her cheek.

"That's awful! And, wow, I didn't know that happened! How long takes the penalty?"

"A month, but if I behave correctly, he'll cancel it. which means no shopping trips for me…" we both pouted. We wanted to go to PA ourselves next week. Maybe I could convince Charlie to let me go?

Just as Alice wanted to say something, I caught Bella and Edward's discussion.

"…think you're funny or something?" Bella groused. Edward looked wickedly amused by her reaction. Apparently he'd teased her about all those guys who wanted to be her date for the dance. She obviously didn't like that.

"Will you please allow me to finish? I heard you were going to Seattle and I was wondering if you wanted a ride." He asked her. My gut dropped. I instantly felt nauseas.

_ 'now, that's better, Mr. delicious!' _Bella thought. Edward was actually asking Bella on a date. A date. Bella. With Edward.

"Sure…but I thought you didn't want to be friends with me?" she purred. The sound sickened me.

"I said it would be better if we weren't, not that I didn't want to be." Edward replied. "So, you want to go to Seattle with me?" he continued. Bella's mind had changed into jell-o. She nodded and bit her lip. Edward smiled and turned around, facing Alice and me. Bella quickly walked inside for class.

"Edward! you did it! I'm so proud of you! Oh! Did you know Melody is my new best friend?"Alice rattled on while I was dazed. He was taking Bella to Seattle. Not me. he didn't like me. He liked Bella.

"Helloooo? Melody are you in there? somewhere?" I snapped out of it when I saw Alice's hand waving in front of me. Edward looked confused and I noticed the others had joined us. they all held weird expressions on their pretty faces; Rosalie looked irritated – '_I hate her! Why does he have to date hér! Why not..'_ – Emmett had this smug grin plastered on his face – _'Eddie's having a date! Awesome!'_– Jasper, though, was studying me intently I didn't have a clue why, until I caught his thoughts. _'Why did she feel so..rejected, unwanted? Oh, now she's panicking. What the hell?' _ I was indeed panicking hugely now. he knew how I felt. Must be his gift then. Oh my god….a psychic, a mind-reader and a emotion controller too? where did I deserve this for? Couldn't things get easier sometime?

"Huh? Sorry Alice, Edward…others? I uh…I need to go for class. Don't want to be late and all. Bye." I grabbed my bag from the ground and squeezed myself pass them and made my way too class.


	21. Chapter Twenty

**A/N: Hi! I read the last chapters a few times and I understand your confusion. Edward indeed starts to show interest in Bella, but this doesn't have to mean that he truly wnats that. There are reasons for his behavior. So to be a bit clear;**  
**Moon Girl, which you're reading, isd technically an EdwardxBella BUT in Starless Sky [the fanfiction of New Moon and the sequel of this story] will be EdwardxMelody. and hoping to make youa ll happy the third and fourth part will be too. **

**I hope you guys still like to read further though, knowing Edward and Melody aren't 'getting it on' in this story. but I can also say freely that they will most definetely in the sequel! ;)**

**I'm going to 'bomb' the chapters of this story pretty quick on here. Surely three chapters a day, maybe more. **

**Another ntoe for this chapter; the conversation will look a lot like the original one, since I thought it should stay in there. No intend on copying - What is Stephenie's is hers, and what's mine is mine. **

**hope you enjoy reading!**

**~Lexi**

* * *

Once I got to Trig , another class I shared with Bella, I got a dirty look from the teacher. I quickly shuffled to my seat, next to Bella's.

"Next time, Miss Swan, I hope you'll join us on time. not seven minutes later. " Mr. Varner said. I mumbled some apologies and opened my books.

"I told you he was mine. I'm going to Seattle with him next week. He asked me. So if I were you, I'd stay away." Bella said, never letting her gaze leave the blackboard. I didn't say anything back; not wanting to spur her on and not knowing what to say or think. I didn't know why I felt so sick when Bella and Edward together was mentioned. I tried to shake it off multiple times, but it kept creeping me. when Bella didn't get the angry reply she wanted, she huffed and flung her hair in my face. I ignored it while my hand gripped the edge of the wooden table.

After another three hours of boring classes, the bell announced it was time for lunch. I'd packed my stuff and left the room, heading for the cafeteria. Normally, Angela would wait for me and we'd go together. I looked around the parking lot, in search for her. Maybe she'd gone ahead or wanted to be early in line. Then, I spotted her. I smiled at first, but when I saw the look she gave me and the people whom were surrounding her, the smile faded as quick. It looked like she was starting to get close friends with Lauren, Jessica and Bella.

Rejected, I entered the cafeteria and waited in line to get myself something to eat. When I eventually got a sandwich and some water, I paid and went for the usual table. I got glares from the girls and wondered if Bella had said anything about what had happened yesterday. I sat down next to Ben Cheney and wanted to do nothing more than suffer in silence. Why did she have to steal away my friends? I hadn't done anything to hurt Angela. for a second I thought about just reading their minds to know, so I could fix it. But I didn't even want to know. It were probably just lies or Bella had made a huge drama queen story about our fight. I sighed.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you again. I wonder why he's sitting alone today." I heard Jessica say to Bella. My head snapped up, following their gaze. And there he sat. Alone at a table for two. I saw him winking at Bella and he motioned with his index-finger for her to join him. She stood up and left the table, heading towards Edward. she sat down and they started talking. My head shot to the table where they always were seated. Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie where studying him. Their minds told me they weren't very happy with this. Alice though, was a happy for him, that he'd finally found someone to love.

I sucked in a huge breath. He was in love with her. I followed their conversation closely. I wanted – no, needed – to know what was said.

"Giving up?" Bella asked, warily.

"Yes — giving up trying to be good. I'm just going to do what I want now, and let the chips fall where they're going to." Edward's smile faded as he explained, and a hard edge crept into his voice.

"well,...you lost me again." _'can't he just be more clearly?'_

The breathtaking crooked smile he could put on reappeared.

"I always say too much when I'm talking to you or your sister — that's one of the problems here." He glanced toward me for a second when he mentioned my name. I blushed of course.

"Don't worry — I don't understand it anyway," Bella let him know

"I'm counting on that, actually"

"So, in plain English, we're friends now?" _'you could be my next ex-boyfriend too, if you want?'_

"Friends…" he mused, dubious, faintly scrunching up his nose.

"Or not," she muttered irritated again.

Edward plastered a grin on his face. "Well, we can try, I suppose. But I'm warning you now that I'm not a good friend in any way." Behind his smile, the warning was real.

"You say that a lot,like all the time," Bella noted.

"Yes, because you're not listening to me. I'm still waiting for you to believe it. If you're smart, you avoid me." Edward explained, serious again.

"I think you've made your opinion on the subject of the ability fo my mind clear too." Bella said, bitch completely back. Edward rolled his eyes.

"So, as long as I'm being… not smart, we'll try to be friends?" she said, crossing her arms,batting her eyelashes.

"That sounds right." He shrugged and she smiled wickedly. _'step one is done. Step two is on the way! You're going to be so screwed Edward.'_

"What are you thinking?" he asked curiously, brows creased.

"I'm trying to figure out what you are." She blurted. She indeed had been thinking about that a lot lately.

Edward's jaw tightened, but he kept his smile in place with some effort.

"And? You already know?" he asked in an offhand tone.

"No, not really," Bella admitted.

He chuckled, still tense. "What are your theories?"

Bella blushed thinking about Spiderman and Batman. "Won't you tell me?" he asked, tilting his head to one side with a shockingly tempting smile.

Bella shook her head. "Nope, too embarrassing."

"That's _really _frustrating, you know," he complained, "Please tell me just one little theory." His eyes smoldered at her. It was intoxicating.

"Um, well, bitten by a radioactive spider or soemthing, wahtever?" _'is he a hypnotist, too?'_

"That's not very creative," he scoffed.

"I'm sorry, that's all I've got," She said, sneering.

"You're not even close," he teased.

"No spiders?" I mentally rolled my eyes at that. No spiders indeed… Edward shook his head no. "And no radioactivity?" Bella tried again. "None." Edward replied.

"Damn it," Bella groused.

"Kryptonite doesn't bother me, either, you know." Edward started chuckling.

"I'll find out. Watch me." Bella threatened. Edward seemed unaffected by her threat.

I stopped listening. I didn't like it – seeing Bella chatting with Edward.

"Hey Melody, what time are you at the beach? Or do you want to drive with us?" Mike's voice woke me from my trance. I looked up to see him smiling at me.

"I'll be there at ten, if that's okay?" he nodded happily. At least I'd made someone happy today.

The bell rang and I stood up to leave for biology, when I heard Alice's thoughts.

_'Melody, I'm not going. You'll find out soon enough why…I'm not allowed to tell you.'_ I turned my head to see her through the crowd. I nodded and smiled lightly, letting her know that what happened this morning wasn't because of her. I was curious, though, why they'd skip biology today. I just shrugged and headed for the right classroom.

When I entered the room I saw Bella already seated. Alone. Edward wasn't here either. Strange? Why'd they do that? What couldn't Alice tell me? confused, I sat down on my stool and leaned back against the backrest. On the blackboard was a message that said we didn't need our books today. If I'd known earlier, my bag would've been less heavy. Mr. Banner entered the room, trailing a cart with medical supplies behind him. I saw needles, plastic gloves, microscopes, test tubes. I still had no clue about what we were going to do, until I read Mr. Banner's enthusiastic mind. _'..so exciting! This way they can donate blood in PA. I'm sure there are a few of them who will do that.'_

Bloodtyping.

Normally, this wouldn't cause any problems, but today I felt like something would go horribly wrong. It was nagging me in the back of my mind. I gasped when I remembered.

_'So…my body is different than that from other humans?' I didn't understand it. Scarlett sighed and started explaining._

_ 'Yes, but not very much. My body is much more different, but that's another story. Your body is stronger, faster, your skin is paler, your eyes are bigger and have much better sight. Your ears can hear much more than those from the neighbors. And don't forget you can read minds, others most likely can't. Even your blood is different. it's important for you to know all this.' I looked at her, understanding written over my face. I was different and no one except from my family was allowed to know that._

When I was twelve Scarlett had told me what I was. my siblings had hinted that I was different when I was much younger, but that day she told me everything. Not having blood similar to that from other humans was part of it.

I had to get out of here.

While Mr. Banner started explaining happily, with Mike Newton as his participant, I was thinking of a way to get out of here as soon as possible. I noticed Bella getting sick as well. She was getting nauseated from the blood. When our teacher poked through Mike's skin with a needle, my body tensed. I felt the weirdest and most uncomfortably sensation coursing through my body. I didn't recognize it but when I saw the blood seeping out of his finger, I found myself licking my lips in anticipation.

I was thirsty. Thirsty for human blood for the first time ever.

Fuck my life.

I gritted my teeth and put my feet down hard on the ground. I clenched my fists, hoping I could control myself. My eyes were wide and my nostrils flared. I wanted nothing more than to bite, tear and drink.

No! it's Mike. He's just an innocent human! He's one of your friends! get out of here! NOW!

I raised my hand, still gripping the edge of the table with the other.

"Miss Swan?" He asked in return. I swallowed the fluid what I guessed was venom before speaking.

"I don't feel very well. I can't stand the blood. Can I leave please?" my voice cracked and was strained. The teacher nodded and told me to go to the school nurse. Absolutely not. While I quickly grabbed my bags, during the torturous time where my classmates were cheerfully prodding through each other's skin, I noticed Bella getting up to be guided towards the nurse by Mike. I swung my bag around my shoulder and practically ran out of the room. Nobody was around me when I opened my locker with inhuman speed and threw my bag in it. I slammed the door shut and ran through the aisles, across the parking lot, into the woods.  
When I wasn't in sight of FHS anymore, I let go. I'd never felt so animalistic and strong in my entire life. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, a small voice told me to stop and think. My body and instincts, however, craved for blood. And that's when I smelled it.

* * *

**A/N2: Uh-oh! so any guesses on what the hell Melody is and what's she going to do? O.o"**


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

**A/N: Ok, so, this chapter will get slightly violent. It's not a large part, but if your're appalled to let's say 'vampiric actions' then you should stop readin at the ######## line and start when you see the next. **

**Hope you enjoy reading!**

**~lexi**

* * *

I stopped dead in track, completely still and listened. I heard movements to my right. Animals. Deer probably. I inhaled and my eyes flew open. Faster than lightning, I raced towards them, jumping in a close by tree. There were two deer. Venom flooded wildly again and I whimpered. It stung in my throat. I didn't want to kill and innocent animal either, but I had to. I needed to. it was terrible how my body fought with my rational thinking mind. I did not wish to kill somehting, anything. Even if the victim wasn't innocent at all. The venom kept stinging, making me wild with the need for what my body obviously craved. My mind lost the battle.

**#############################################################################################**

I took another deep breath and attacked. I pushed one of them down, while the other ran away. The animal struggled and so did I. The deer wanted to break free from my grasp and my rational side wanted nothing more than to fulfill its wish. But I couldn't. I stopped thinking and just did it. I bit down in its jugular and sucked.

The warm, soft, thick liquid flowed down my throat. I moaned loudly. It was good, so, so good. More. I wanted more. I sucked harder, faster. Swallowing with every drop that pooled. Delicious. Ravenous. Much pleasure.

After a few minutes I pushed it away. I crawled backwards and slumped against a rock. I'd just killed an animal. I felt so bad, but at the same time, I was relieved. The tension my body held the past few weeks, was gone. My breathing slowed down and I felt a little dizzy. I think from the running. I closed my eyes for a while, enjoying the feel of the fresh, warm liquid that flooded through my veins. I felt stronger, powerful.

**#############################################################################################**

I pulled my phone out of my jeans pocket, to check the time. It was twenty-eight minutes past two. I was expected at the hospital at fifteen past three. Which gave me less than an hour time. How the hell was I going to manage that? Maybe…

I stood up from the ground and wiped off the dirt from my clothes. Looking down, I saw that I needed to change clothes and shower. My arms, shirt and probably my face were covered with splatters of blood. My jeans were ripped and muddied and also full of bloodstains. I sighed frustratingly. I had run very fast when I got here. I was hoping I could get just as fast to the main road, without anyone seeing me. but how? How did I run that fast?

I closed my eyes and concentrated. I felt the strength I'd gotten after I drank from the deer coursing through muscles. I made the first step, followed by another and then I was off like a bullet. I didn't know where I was headed, completely letting my instincts tell me where to go. Not even five minutes later, I found myself standing in the bushes across from my house. Now I only needed to cross the street without anyone seeing me. if that'd happen, someone would think I was some serial killer with all this blood, mud and tears. I scanned the area for minds. The old women next door was watching TV, so her mind wasn't focused on what happened outside. Another neighbor stood in the kitchen, making sure the groceries were in the right cabinets. For the remainder there was no one to be find. I quickly crossed the street at a human pace, grabbed my keys from my pocket and opened the front door. I kicked out my shoes and carried them with me up the stairs. Once in my room I squeezed myself out of the dirty clothes and threw them in a plastic bag and shoved it under my bed. I would wash them later when there was time enough. I grabbed fresh clothes and a towel from my closet and hurried to the bathroom. I supposedly ignored the mirror, not wanting to see what I looked like. There was no time for shock now.  
I showered as quickly as I could and let the sweet aroma of coconut and bananas calm my senses. After drying off and blowing my hair, I dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater. Down stairs I pushed my feet in my grey Uggs and left the house. Just as I descended the porch, I came face to face with Bella. Behind her stood the silver Volvo with Edward in the driver's seat.

"What are you doing here?" she asked annoyed. I gave her a nasty look. My first answer should be that I was living here, but I ignored it.

"I need to go to the hospital. Dr. Cullen is removing my stitches today." I said back, surprisingly calm. Bella huffed, rolling her eyes and I brushed past her. She turned to wave to Edward, who clearly had been bringing her home. When I looked at him, he had this strange look on his face. Then he pulled the engine and drove off. I scurried to the garage to get my bike. I put my earphones in, turned the music on and got on the bike. As Starships blared through the speakers I cycled my way to the hospital at a human pace.

"Miss Swan?" I looked up from my IPod when my name as called. A nurse mentioned for me to follow her and not much later, I stood in front of Dr. Cullen's office. I knocked softly – he'd hear anyway. The door opened and Dr. Cullen smiled at me.

"Hello, Melody. It's good to see you again. Come in." he stepped out of the doorway and motioned for me to enter. I stepped in and sat down on the chair at his desk. I looked around once. It surprised me to find family pictures hanging proudly on the walls. Some were weird, other's were just outright beautiful. Dr. Cullen sat down in front of me and started talking.

"So. I'm going to remove your stitches today. It won't hurt, but you will feel some stretching sensation afterward." He explained. I nodded. With my clumsiness, I sure had stitches before. A lot actually.

Dr. Cullen stood up and walked over to the examination table. He motioned for me to sit on the white paper. Once I was seated he started talking to me while he peeled off the band-aids.

"So, how is it going? Are you having a good time here in Forks?" he asked sincerely, his eyes fixed on the now bandage-less space on my head.

"Well, it was very…getting used to at first, but I'm really glad to spend some time with my Dad now." I answered honestly. Dr. Cullen smiled slightly. I felt a small pull at my head but ignored it. It didn't hurt nor was it uncomfortable.

"I'm positive you're happy to have time with your sister again, too." _'they seem so different from each other but they're very look-a-like from the outside.'_

"Ah..well yes." I didn't know why, but I couldn't lie completely. The doctor didn't say anything about it, even though his thoughts told me he found this unexpectedly. He'd thought we were very close. He walked away from me to get rid of the dirty bandages and stitches.

"All right. We're done here. Make sure to keep it clean the following days and.." when he looked at me, he was doing everything in his might not to laugh. I frowned.." if you have any problems with the scar or anything else you should come back." He smiled now. I tried to read his mind, but I heard nothing. What could be so funny?

I jumped of off the examination table and retrieved my bag.

"Thank you Doctor. I'll try not to see you any time soon." As always, the blush spread through my cheeks. The doctor chuckled.

"No thanks, Melody. And I indeed hope to not see you on ER. Have a nice day, though." I smiled back and left the room.

Once outside, I got on my bike and cycled back home. I wondered where Alice was right now. I completely understood why she wasn't in Biology today. I tried not to think about it too much. What had happened to me was absolutely not normal. I started panicking right away. I seriously needed to call Adam. Maybe it _was _normal during the change? But then again; I've always been the out stander in my family. I could do things they never were able to do. I was probably just weird.

When I got home, I was completely drenched. Cycling in Forks wasn't a very good idea, but when you don't have a car it's the only solution. I saw Charlie's cruiser parked behind Bella's truck.

"Melody? Is that you?" I heard the old man ask. I chuckled softly.

"Yeah, it's me. just got back from the hospital." I said as I rounded the corner, into the living room.

"All right. What did he…" when he turned his head to look at me, he burst out laughing. I just stood there and waited for him to be done.

"Dad? What's so funny? Dr. Cullen was at least containing his laughter." I said mockingly.

"Look in the mirror." He smiled broadly. Did I even want to know? I walked over to the mirror hanging by the stairs and looked at my reflection.

"Holy penguins!" just like Charlie, I busted out laughing. This was to funny for words. I noticed Bella getting down the stairs and she stared at me.

"What's going on with you two?" she asked with a frown. I answered all too happy.

"I've got a Harry Potter scar on my head! That's genius!" I pointed at the lightning like scar next to my temple. Bella raised an eyebrow and started laughing with us. I knew Bella was actually making fun of me, but I didn't care.  
Once we calmed down, the oven beeped letting us know dinner was ready.

* * *

**A/N2: yeah...I just couldn't leave it! LOL and please, let me know your thoughts! ;) **


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

The next day, before lunch, Alice jumped in front of me. She studied my head intensely and then giggled. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh my god! I thought Carlisle was joking!" she was laughing now, trying to find words, "you're seriously a crazy thing Mells! A Harry potter scar? That's genius. I mean there could be only one person who manages that!" doubled over now, she laughed only harder and I couldn't help but laugh with her.

"Yeah, well, I'll just say you're right." I said after the giggle fest was over.

"Anyway, I'm sure you're hungry so let's go for the cafeteria. Do you..want to sit with me?" she asked. it caught me off guard; I surely hadn't expected that.

"I don't think that's a great idea. I mean, not yet? you're siblings obviously don't like me." Alice pouted but she thought back to me, _'Jasper likes you and Rose just needs to get used to the idea of you and me being friends. Bella is the one she doesn't like. Please?' _I nodded and she smiled broadly, clapping her hands during the process. Together we entered the cafeteria, getting lots of stares.

"Where are your brothers? Emmett and Edward?" I couldn't say his name without the shiver that shot through my spine every time.

"They started the weekend early. Camping and stuff." She said as she tried not to think about why they were away. Not that I didn't know. I nodded and didn't say anything about it. I followed her to their table and saw Bella and the others where I was normally seated look at me in jealousy, shock and even anger. It didn't matter to me anymore; they had divested me. I felt the panic rise as we neared the Cullen table. Jasper looked curious at Alice. Rosalie looked like she always did. _'What is she doing here? She's probably just as worse as her sister!' _Rosalie hated the idea of Edward dating Bella. I couldn't agree more with her on that.

"Hey Jazz, Rose." Alice started as she looked at both of them, "This is Melody, my friend, you know, Bella's sister?" I totally rolled eyes at that, "Anyway you mind if she sitting with us today? Em and Neddie aren't here, so there are seats enough." she finished happily. I looked down at my plate and studied my bottle of water. It was silent for a while and I only heard their minds working. They both rebelled at first.

"Sure, why not? Take a seat." I heard Jasper say. Alice smiled broadly at him. I sat down next to Alice.

"I'm sure you already know, but I'm Jasper Hale. I'm Alice's boyfriend." He said smiling lightly, but wincing at the same time. Everyone said he always looked like he was in pain. Although, they didn't knew it was actually true. And right now, it was actually my fault. I tried to shield myself, so he wouldn't smell the worst of it. I saw him relax immediately.

"I'm positive you know me as well, but I'm Rosalie Hale." Her voice was icy, but she was willing to give me a chance. She thought there was something about me that seemed different than others.

"Hi, Jasper, Rosalie. Ehm…Thanks for letting me sit here…I think." I babbled. It was a bit awkward for a while until Alice started talking.

"Right. Melody, what are you doing this weekend?" she asked sincerely. The other two listened curiously.

"Tomorrow I'm kind of forced to go to the beach. And for Sunday I promised my dad to make him a high tea. He loves that and I don't have anything other planned, so." I shrugged as I told them this. A frown stood on their foreheads.

"kind of forced? Why are you forced to join them?" Rosalie asked me.

"yeah, well. I really hate La Push. Those people there…they give me chills. They always seem so…watching. You know what I mean? They're watching me all the time. But I didn't want to say no to Mike because I already let him down for the dance." They all looked at each other in surprise.

"Well, we don't like La Push either. Join the club." Jasper snickered. I started to feel like…myself with them. Like I belonged there. it was strange I could feel that so strongly after only speaking to them. We talked about a few unimportant things like movies, makeup, games and even clothing stores, until lunch was over.

I could actually say 'mission accomplished' – Rosalie was beginning to like me, even though she still thought I was an invader and Jasper already liked me and promised himself to never hurt me, no matter how thirsty he was. I wished them a good weekend and went back to class to bore myself through another three hours of wisdom.

That evening during dinner, Bella suddenly started asking things.

"Dad, do you know a place called Goat Rocks or something like that? I think it's south of Mount Rainier," she asked casually. I knitted my eyebrows together in confusion.

"Yeah — why?" Charlie answered.

Bella shrugged. "Some kids were talking about camping there."

"It's not a very good place for camping." He sounded surprised." Too many bears. Most

people go there during the hunting season."

"Oh," she murmured. "Maybe I got the name wrong." _'I knew something was up! I'm so close now.'_

I already knew Bella was suspicious about Edward and his family, but I didn't knew she was this close to finding out. I had to keep an eye on her from now on.

That night I'd been restless. I kept tossing and turning and looking at the clock every hour. Something wasn't right. Like I was missing something. When it was seven in the morning, I gave up and got out to take a warm shower. The stream of sunlight that came through the window, didn't go unnoticed by me. it was warmer in Forks now, which meant I could put on a tee with short sleeves.

After my shower, I applied a little makeup, styled my hair and got it in a high sideway ponytail. I grabbed an old pair of skinny jeans and a dark blue oversized tee with my old school logo on it - 'Bay View High'. My scuffed sneakers were downstairs.

Once done, I got to the kitchen and made myself a banana with chocolate toastie. I loved that on Saturday mornings. After a few minutes it was done and I sat down at the table with three uneven chairs. The smallest was for me off course. Taking tiny bites, piece by piece, I started thinking about what Adam said on the phone last night.

_"I guess it won't take much longer now. But, tell me honestly, who's the guy?"_

I hadn't understand him. What guy did he mean. He actually said it like I was secretly having sex with a dude in some shiny car. Yeah, like that.

He explained me that the only way to start the change, is to fall in love. Now he got me wondering who the hell I possibly had fallen in love with. I didn't dare to think about it too much.

"You're up early." I'd been so lost in thought, that I hadn't noticed Bella seeking in the refrigerator for breakfast.

"Oh, yeah. Couldn't sleep. How was your night?" I asked politely. Not that I wanted to know where she had been thinking about this time. Bella's…needy…thoughts got me blushing on extra range lately. It was a good thing I blushed so much anyway.

We ate further in silence – well, she ate and I just sat there. Not that I minded much. I liked the silence, even though her mind was elsewhere.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked her when she finished her breakfast.

"Yes, I'll only need to grab my camera." She answered and went to the living room. This got me to an idea. I followed her to grab mine too. This beach trip wouldn't be anything spectacular, but at least I could enjoy myself by making pictures. I hadn't changed my photo's on Facebook in a while and I was sure my siblings would want to see pictures from me here.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

"Hey! There you are! Come on let's go. You can ride with me. Bella do you want to sit in the front seat with me? there's place enough." Mike was extremely happy we had arrived and now we could go. I noticed Lauren and Jessica giving me the bitch face and I winced. Everything had turned out differently than I'd thought at first. I'd thought I was going to end up being friends with Angela, but they had ruined that chance. She didn't speak to me anymore, not even now. of course I could ask her what was wrong, but if she thought I wasn't good enough, she clearly wasn't worth my time. Easy as done. It occurred me, that I acted more colder, icier with situations that held a certain emotion. Rejection. Since what happened between me and the sadistic creature that we supposed to call Mom, I could start to feel completely numb when someone rejected or divested me. I didn't gave up; I moved on.

Once at the beach, I felt strange. I used to go to the beach almost every day. And yet here I was, standing as far from the water as I could, frowning. This place wasn't really something I called beach. I'd rather call it a big puddle of water, enclosed by sand and depression. The sun was there, but I missed the scorching heat. I lumbered to a tree trunk and sat down. A few others were seated there to, but they didn't remark me. As I sat there, I watched Bella having the greatest fun with her friends. I sighed. Secretly I wished Alice was here or Jasper and Rosalie. Maybe even Edward. They'd talk to me. But they weren't here for three reasons. First, it was sunny. Secondly, they clearly didn't like the reservation. And thirdly, they were out, hunting. I wondered if Alice was aware of the fact that I already knew what they were. We both knew from each other, that had secrets. Huge secrets. But we never talked about it after that night I'd fought Bella.

Suddenly, I heard a fast whooshing sound. I looked to my right to see a ball flying at me and hitting me right in my face. I gasped as it hit my cheek. It started glowing and a bruise would start forming soon. I gnashed my teeth together and stood up, looking for the one who had thrown it at me. Lauren Mallory. She, Jessica, Bella and Angela were laughing their ass off. I blinked the tears way that had started to flow when the ball hit my face.

"Hey Melody! Thanks for catching it with your face! Give it back!" Lauren incised. I picked the thing up, leaned backwards with my hand and threw it at her, with such a force that it pushed her on the ground. They stood two hundred meters away from me. they all helped her up while she whined about how much it hurt. I looked at my hands in shock, catching an image I never had wanted to see again – an extremely tiny flicker of blue lightning, flashed along my finger. I swallowed, took a few deep breaths and the urge to burn left.

For another half an hour, I sat alone at the tree trunk. nobody talked to me, nobody noticed me. they were all too busy to watch my sister and her friends run along the shore line in her bra. It wasn't that warm. I finally had enough of it and went to Mike's car to grab my camera. I made pictures of the beach at first. Then I made one of my small feet, between seashells in the sand. My bright blue polished toenails gave it an extra touch.

After putting on my shoes, I went into the forest. I heard there were tide pools close by. I made various pictures of trees while the sun shone through the leaves, making the droplets of water glisten up. I lovely sight to see.

When I found the tide pools I was in awe. It was wonderful, and I made lots of photo's. I placed the camera on a rock, set it on timer and sat down on the side of the tide pool. A sudden breeze blew my hair backwards. I heard the familiar click and got up again. I grabbed my camera and walked further for a few more tide pools. I used the timer on more places to get a picture of myself and then I made my way back to the group. The clouds had covered the sun and it looked like it could rain any moment.

When I got back to First Beach, the group het multiplied. From my place, far away from them I could easily see whom had joined the group. The teenagers from the reservation. I walked closer and saw them all talking happily. Food was passed around and everyone tried to claim a few pieces. I wasn't hungry. When I neared the circle with tree trunks, one of the Quileute boys, looked at me curiously. I shivered. Something about them always freaked me out.

Eric, who had been introducing everyone, saw me and pushed me in their direction.

"Oh, and this Melody Swan. Bella's sister." he said cheery. I blushed, as usual and waved sheepish at them. I sat down on the end of the trunk and enjoyed the silence. It wasn't silent at all, but at least I didn't have to say anything. The group made plans to go hiking and when they asked me, I declined. So did Bella. I had the feeling she was already lusting after one of those new guys.

_'I'm positive I've seen her before. I already know Bella, but she looks different. She's pretty, that's for sure.' _

I looked up, searching for the one that was thinking about me. My eyes fell on the boy who had been watching me when I came closer earlier. His skin was russet colored, his long, wavy black hair, was tied in a ponytail. He wasn't ugly, but I wasn't attracted to him.

"You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?" the boy asked Bella. She sighed. "Bella."

"I'm Jacob Black." He held his hand out in a friendly gesture. "You drive my dad's truck if I'm right." He grinned.

"Oh, you're Billy's son. I probably should

remember you." She said back, shaking his hand.

"Maybe; I'm the youngest of the family — I'm sure you remember my older sisters." He smiled again, showing his ultra white teeth.

"Rachel and Rebecca," Bella suddenly remembered. I remembered them too. They were nice girls. We used to play with sand sometimes. I vaguely could recall those trips to the beach. I used to like it here, until I became older and more aware of what I was.

"Are they here?" Bella examined the girls at the ocean's edge, wondering how they looked like now "No." Jacob shook his head. "Rachel got a scholarship to Washington State, and Rebecca married a surfer — she lives in Hawaii now."

"Married. Wow." Bella was stunned. I was too, a little, but not much. My oldest sister married at nineteen. Rebecca and Rachel, the twins, were eighteen.

"So how do you like the truck?" Jacob asked further.

"I love it. It runs great." Bella answered simply. Not that she cared a lot about cars.

"Yeah, but it's really slow," Jacob laughed. "I was so relieved when Charlie bought it. My

dad wouldn't let me work on building another car when we had a perfectly good vehicle right there."

"So you build cars?" Bella asked, impressed.

"When I have free time, and parts. You wouldn't happen to know where I could get

a master cylinder for a 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit?" he added jokingly. _'oh my god, that voice. So husky.'_

"Sorry," she laughed flirtatiously, "I haven't seen any lately, but I'll keep my eyes open for you." She winked at him. As if she knew what that was. He flashed a brilliant smile, looking at her appreciatively in a way I was learning to

recognize. I sighed mentally. Admirer number something was on his way.

Suddenly, he looked at me.

"So, you're Melody? I do remember you. We built sandcastles together when our dads went fishing." He smiled broadly.

"Oh, yeah, that's true. I don't remember much of it though." I said. I didn't even know, until I saw his thoughts – or actually his memories. I couldn't recall the memories from my childhood anymore. only if someone thought about it, if it was clicked on photo's or filmed. They were all faded after the accident.

"Do you know Melody, Jacob?" Lauren asked from across the fire.

"We've sort of known each other since she was born," he laughed, smiling at me. I smiled back even though I felt a little uncomfortable.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four

"Bella," she called again, "I was just saying to Tyler that it was too bad none of the Cullens could come out today. You invited him today right?" Her expression of concern was unconvincing.

"You mean Dr. Carlisle Cullen's family?" the tall boy asked before Bella could respond. He was really closer to a man than a boy, and his

voice was very deep. I didn't like him at all.

"Yes, do you know them?" she asked condescendingly, turning halfway toward him.

"The Cullens don't come here," he said in a tone that closed the subject, ignoring her

question.

I stared at the deep-voiced boy, taken aback, but he was looking away toward the dark

forest behind us. There was something about the way he'd said it – not like they just didn't want to be here, more like they weren't allowed to. I concentrated on his mind, which, to my surprise, was difficult to read. like I caught the signal, but let it slip away.

_'…bloodsuckers. Always in the way….break the treaty….their fault we're..'_

I frowned. It was like listening to a radio with bad receiving.

"Jacob? Do you want to walk down the beach with me?" Bella asked, batting her eyelashes. Jacob looked at me for a split second and then jumped up.

"Sure, Bella! You want to come too, Melody?" the smile on my sisters face changed into a grimace as soon as he asked me. her hatred thoughts didn't affect me though. Jacob was a nice guy and I certainly hadn't anything better to do.

As we walked north, Bella suddenly started with her plan. When that guy said that the Cullen's didn't come here, she had picked that up, just like I did. She'd been thinking of a plan to get Jacob to talk.

"So you're nineteen?" she asked as she fluttered her eyelids the way she'd seen girls do on TV.

"I just turned seventeen," he confessed, flattered.

"Really?" Her face was full of false surprise. She already knew he was only seventeen. "I would have thought you were older."

"I'm tall for my age," he explained.

"Do you come into Forks much?" she asked waggishly, as if she was hoping for a yes. Which she did. If she couldn't get Edward, Jacob would be her next bait. It was stupid to see how Jacob fell for it.

"Not too much," he admitted with a frown. "But when I get my car finished I can go up

as much as I want — after I get my license," he grinned boyishly.

"Who was that other boy Lauren was talking to? He seemed a little old to be hanging

out with us." she purposefully lumped herself with the younger kids, trying to make it clear that she preferred Jacob above the other guys.

"That's Sam — he's nineteen," he informed us.

"What was that he was saying about the doctor's family?" she asked innocently. Now we're getting somewhere.

"The Cullens? Oh, they're not supposed to come onto the reservation." He looked away,

out toward James Island, as he confirmed what I'd guessed when Sam implied they didn't come here.

"Why not?" I asked suddenly.

He glanced at me, biting his lip. " I'm not supposed to say anything about that."

"Oh, I won't tell anyone, I'm just curious." I tried to make my smile alluring. Sometimes, being a monster had its charms. He smiled back, though, looking all too happy with all this attention he was getting from us.

"Neither will I." Bella let him know. Then he lifted one eyebrow and his voice was even huskier than before.

"Do you like scary stories?" he asked ominously.

"I _love _them," Bella enthused, making an effort to smolder at him. I nodded.

Jacob strolled to a nearby driftwood tree that had sticking out at different size. He perched lightly on one of the twisted roots while Bella sat beneath him on the body of the tree. I sat down next to him. He stared down at the rocks, a smile

around the edges of his lips. He wanted to tell this as creepy as possible.

"Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came from — the Quileutes, I

mean?" he began.

"Not really," I admitted. Bella shook her head just as I said that.

"Well, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Flood —

supposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the

mountain to survive like Noah and the ark." He smiled, to show me how little he believed from the histories. "Another legend claims that we descended from wolves — and that

the wolves are still our brothers. It's against tribal law to kill them.

"Then there are the stories about the _cold ones_." His voice dropped a little lower. I tensed up.

"The cold ones?" Bella asked, not faking any interest now.

"Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more

recent. According to a legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the

one who made the treaty that kept them off our land." He rolled his eyes.

"Your great-grandfather?" Bella encouraged. I kept silent, afraid of what he was going to reveal to Bella.

"He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of

the wolf—well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves."

"Werewolves have enemies?" I asked.

"Only one." He looked at me, grinning from ear to ear. The fear must be written all over my face. But it wasn't from what he told. It was for Alice and her family. Edward.

We stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

"So you see," Jacob continued, "the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this

pack that came to our territory during my great-grandfather's time was different. They

didn't hunt the way others of their kind did — they weren't supposed to be dangerous to

the tribe. So my great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay

off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the pale-faces." He winked at me.

"If they weren't dangerous, then why… ?" I tried to understand, struggling not to let him see through my anger.

"There's always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if they're civilized

like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist." He

deliberately worked a thick edge of menace into his tone.

"What do you mean, 'civilized'?" Bella asked with a frown.

"They claimed that they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to

prey on animals instead."

Bella tried to keep her voice casual. "So how does it fit in with the Cullens ? Are they like

the cold ones your great grandfather met?"

"No." He paused dramatically. I knew what was coming.

"They are the _same _ones."


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five

Bella's face paled when she heard that. _'What the hell is he!?'_

My face held an expression of shock. I had thought about it, that they were possibly older than eighteen. I guessed they were secretly only ten years older than their real age. But seeing that Jacob's great-grandfather met them before… they must be much older than I'd first thought.

Jacob thought we looked like that because we were intrigued by the way he told the story. He smiled, pleased, and continued.

"There are more of them now, a new female and a new male, but the rest are the same.

In my great-grandfather's time they already knew of the leader, Carlisle. He'd been here and gone before _your _people had even arrived." He was fighting a smile.

"And what are they?" Bella finally dared to ask. "What _are _the cold ones exactly?"Jacob smiled darkly.

"Blood drinkers," he replied in a chilling voice. "Your people call them vampires."

Bella stared out at the rough surf after he answered. Her mind was a in a knot when she heard this. I stared done at my shoes. I was okay with it, the fact that my best friend was a vampire. I was okay with thinking it, knowing it. But hearing someone else saying it, made me feel so…unknowing.

"You have goose bumps," Jacob laughed delightedly.

"You're a good storyteller," I told him, still staring at my old, scuffed shoes.

"Pretty creepy stuff, though, isn't it? No wonder my dad doesn't want us to talk about it

to anyone." He rolled his eyes. That Billy holy believed in the legends was one thing, but I was positive there was more behind it. he didn't just believe it, he probably was part of it. there was something between the Cullen's and the Quileute tribe. A mystery. I was sure that could be the reason they were so watching. Why they always watched me so closely. Maybe they suspected something about me, but never had any proof to threaten, or ban me from the reservation.

"Don't worry, I won't give

you away." Bella said to Jacob. She was too afraid everyone would think she'd lost her mind.

"I guess I just violated the treaty," he laughed. "Seriously, though, don't say anything to Charlie. He was pretty mad at my dad when he

heard that some of us weren't going to the hospital since Dr. Cullen started working

there." he scowled.

"We won't tell. We promise, right Bella?" Bella nodded after I said this.

"So now you girls think we're a bunch of superstitious natives?" he asked in a playful

tone, but with a hint of worry. Bella turned and smiled at him as normally as she could muster after his story.

"No. I think you're very good at telling scary stories, though. I still have goose bumps,

see?" she held up her arm, which indeed was covered with goose bumps.

"Cool." He smiled.

Then we heard rocks clattering, letting us know someone was approaching. Our heads snapped up at the same time to see Mike and

Jessica about fifty yards away, walking toward us.

"There you are, Bella, Melody," Mike called in relief, waving his arm over his head.

"Is that a boyfriend from one of you?" Jacob asked, alerted by the jealous edge in Mike's voice. Mike was way too obvious with his crush on us.

"No, He's not," Bella said.

"No way in life, he'd be." I said scornfully.

Jacob grinned, happy we weren't already claimed. Not that he'd have a chance with me. He was nice, like a friend. Nothing more.

"So, eh, maybe when I get into town soon…maybe we can hang out once?" Jacob asked Bella, suddenly nervous.

"Oh, yes, if it works for me. with school and all…" she winked at him.

Mike and Jessica stood next to us now.

"Hey, we're getting everything packed now. I think it's gonna break anytime soon." He said as he pointed at the dark clouds in the air. So much for a sunny day in Forks.

"All right, it was nice to see you again girls! We'll talk soon!" Jacob smiled his bright smile as we waved at him.

Once everything was packed the only thing I had to do was to sit in the car and try to think of a way to warn Alice.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six

When we got home, Charlie wasn't there yet. Bella stomped angrily into the kitchen, where I stood, cooking risotto.

"You really should stop what you're doing!" she suddenly said, standing behind me.

"What? I think I really should continue, since I don't want half done food." I said in a mocking tone. Off course I already knew she didn't meant what I was doing right now. I just couldn't resist.

"That's not what I meant, smartass. I meant flirting your ass off with all those guys. You need to quit that." She said, gnashing her teeth during the process. I rolled my eyes, while I kept mingling the risotto.

"I don't know where you've got your eyes, but obviously not on the right place? I don't flirt with guys. I think that's actually your thing, isn't it?" I bashed back at her. She stuttered for a minute. "How dare you! you,..you…bitch! That's not true! But you're ruining my chances with Edward! You're always in the way! Because you're so pathetic! He's mine! You heard? M. I. N. E.!" when she finished her preach, she walked out of the kitchen, stomping up the stairs, until I heard her bedroom door slam close. I sighed heavily. I didn't understand why she kept bugging me with this. I hadn't talked with Edward since he apologized for being rude. And that was at least two weeks ago. And other guys? Mike is the one that keeps looking at me. Tyler is the one that keeps thinking about me. Eric is the one who keeps telling and dreaming about me. Jacob is the one that talks to me. They are flirting with me, not the other way around. Unfortunately, my dear sister was too stubborn to see that.

"Melody? Bella?" I heard Charlie say from the hall. I sat in the kitchen reading a Harry Potter book. Those were one of my favorites.

"Kitchen, Dad!" I yelled back. Not a minute later, his head stuck in the door opening.

"Ah, I smell something. What did you cook tonight, sweetheart?" he asked as he entered the small kitchen and sat down in front of me.

"I made risotto. Ever had that before?" I smiled. I loved risotto, my siblings too.

"risotto? I don't think I've even heard about that before." He said with a frown. I giggled.

"Don't worry, it's delicious. I'll set the table." I stood up from my chair, placing the worn book on the shelf.

Charlie called out to Bella while I scooped up three plates. She entered the kitchen, looking at me with angry eyes. I ignored het looks and started eating.

After dinner, Charlie did the dishes, so we could 'chillax or something'. His words, not mine. Bella had claimed the computer downstairs and I needed some time to think anyway. I stumbled up the stairs and just when I opened the door to my room, my phone rang.

"Hi, it's Melody." I answered.

"Hi! Skye here! How are you doing lately?" I smiled at the sound of my sister's voice. We hadn't spoken for a while.

"I'm…fine. It's still weird, you know, living here without you, without sun and without beachtrips. Although, I went to the beach today. " I undid my jeans and popped down on the soft mattress of my bed.

"The beach? Wow, was there one sunray or something?" she giggled.

"No, a classmate asked if I wanted to join them. I felt guilty for letting him down earlier, so I agreed." I said while I fidgeted with my t-shirt.

"A guy?" she said suggestively, I rolled my eyes. "Yes, a guy. He's not something for kissing material though." I quickly said. I slapped my head. I shouldn't have said anything about this.

"right. But is there anything good enough for Kissing Material?" he asked further. I sighed. I could do two things – tell her or lie to her. If I'd tell her she'll want to know every single thing. If I lie, she keeps bugging me about it.

"Well, there actually is. Kind of. I..I think." I stumbled while the hot blush crept into my cheeks. I heard my sister squealing through the phone. I rolled my eyes and snickered at her crazy enthusiasm.

"Tell Me! What does he look like? Is he sturdy? Handsome? Oh! What about absolutely fuckable!?" she kept ranting through the phone and I had to keep it a few inches away from my ears. I was positive the blush was a much deeper shade of red now.

"Please tell me you're alone! Or I'm definitely not going to tell you a thing!" I warned. The idea that my brothers heard what she said, made me want to hide in an instant.

"I'm at work. Alone. The next models won't be here until over an hour. So tell me! Please!" she begged again. I pinched my eyes shut, breathed out and hoped she wouldn't take anything to seriously.

"right. There's this guy and he's like…so fucking handsome.." I whispered harshly, staring into nothing while my mind worked to give my sister an description of Edward.

"Aw! How does he look?" Skye urged.

"He's…his skin is pretty pale, straight nose and slightly puffed cheeks. He's got this.._jawporn _and the most expressive eyes…." I thought about the way his jaw was hooked and how his golden eyes could smolder. His damn panty-dropping smile…right. Quit that. Immediately.

I cleared my throat, "Anyway his hair is like, extremely wild. Like he never does anything about it after he leaves his bed in the morning." I was doing everything in my might, not to sigh.

"Wow! From the sounds of it, he must be really awesome! Have you already gave him a lip-lock against the lockers?" there was her suggestive tone again. I just kept blushing, on and on, and on.

"Uhm..no. the thing is…he's out of my league. And I'm sure he doesn't even like me." I hated it, that my voice sounded so sad when I said this.

"Oh Melody..it will be fine. Just, have patience. Your Prince Charming will find you! And.." she was interrupted by someone, I heard her talking off the line.

"sorry, Mells, but I have to go. Preparations and stuff you know? Anyway; what I wanted to say before we hang up is this – Don't wait for the perfect moment, take the moment and make it perfect. You should think about that sometime." Her voice was soft, holding the sound of the love she had for me as her youngest sister. I told her it was alright.

"Good. Dream sweet dreams, Baby Swan. We'll talk to each other as soon as we can, okay?"

"Okay. Tell the other I love them." My throat constricted with emotion.

"will do. I love you baby sis!" she said back.

"love you to, sister, love you too." With that, I hung up the phone.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven

When we got home, Charlie wasn't there yet. Bella stomped angrily into the kitchen, where I stood, cooking risotto.

"You really should stop what you're doing!" she suddenly said, standing behind me.

"What? I think I really should continue, since I don't want half done food." I said in a mocking tone. Off course I already knew she didn't meant what I was doing right now. I just couldn't resist.

"That's not what I meant, smartass. I meant flirting your ass off with all those guys. You need to quit that." She said, gnashing her teeth during the process. I rolled my eyes, while I kept mingling the risotto.

"I don't know where you've got your eyes, but obviously not on the right place? I don't flirt with guys. I think that's actually your thing, isn't it?" I bashed back at her. She stuttered for a minute. "How dare you! you,..you…bitch! That's not true! But you're ruining my chances with Edward! You're always in the way! Because you're so pathetic! He's mine! You heard? M. I. N. E.!" when she finished her preach, she walked out of the kitchen, stomping up the stairs, until I heard her bedroom door slam close. I sighed heavily. I didn't understand why she kept bugging me with this. I hadn't talked with Edward since he apologized for being rude. And that was at least two weeks ago. And other guys? Mike is the one that keeps looking at me. Tyler is the one that keeps thinking about me. Eric is the one who keeps telling and dreaming about me. Jacob is the one that talks to me. They are flirting with me, not the other way around. Unfortunately, my dear sister was too stubborn to see that.

"Melody? Bella?" I heard Charlie say from the hall. I sat in the kitchen reading a Harry Potter book. Those were one of my favorites.

"Kitchen, Dad!" I yelled back. Not a minute later, his head stuck in the door opening.

"Ah, I smell something. What did you cook tonight, sweetheart?" he asked as he entered the small kitchen and sat down in front of me.

"I made risotto. Ever had that before?" I smiled. I loved risotto, my siblings too.

"risotto? I don't think I've even heard about that before." He said with a frown. I giggled.

"Don't worry, it's delicious. I'll set the table." I stood up from my chair, placing the worn book on the shelf.

Charlie called out to Bella while I scooped up three plates. She entered the kitchen, looking at me with angry eyes. I ignored het looks and started eating.

After dinner, Charlie did the dishes, so we could 'chillax or something'. His words, not mine. Bella had claimed the computer downstairs and I needed some time to think anyway. I stumbled up the stairs and just when I opened the door to my room, my phone rang.

"Hi, it's Melody." I answered.

"Hi! Skye here! How are you doing lately?" I smiled at the sound of my sister's voice. We hadn't spoken for a while.

"I'm…fine. It's still weird, you know, living here without you, without sun and without beachtrips. Although, I went to the beach today. " I undid my jeans and popped down on the soft mattress of my bed.

"The beach? Wow, was there one sunray or something?" she giggled.

"No, a classmate asked if I wanted to join them. I felt guilty for letting him down earlier, so I agreed." I said while I fidgeted with my t-shirt.

"A guy?" she said suggestively, I rolled my eyes. "Yes, a guy. He's not something for kissing material though." I quickly said. I slapped my head. I shouldn't have said anything about this.

"right. But is there anything good enough for Kissing Material?" he asked further. I sighed. I could do two things – tell her or lie to her. If I'd tell her she'll want to know every single thing. If I lie, she keeps bugging me about it.

"Well, there actually is. Kind of. I..I think." I stumbled while the hot blush crept into my cheeks. I heard my sister squealing through the phone. I rolled my eyes and snickered at her crazy enthusiasm.

"Tell Me! What does he look like? Is he sturdy? Handsome? Oh! What about absolutely fuckable!?" she kept ranting through the phone and I had to keep it a few inches away from my ears. I was positive the blush was a much deeper shade of red now.

"Please tell me you're alone! Or I'm definitely not going to tell you a thing!" I warned. The idea that my brothers heard what she said, made me want to hide in an instant.

"I'm at work. Alone. The next models won't be here until over an hour. So tell me! Please!" she begged again. I pinched my eyes shut, breathed out and hoped she wouldn't take anything to seriously.

"right. There's this guy and he's like…so fucking handsome.." I whispered harshly, staring into nothing while my mind worked to give my sister an description of Edward.

"Aw! How does he look?" Skye urged.

"He's…his skin is pretty pale, straight nose and slightly puffed cheeks. He's got this.._jawporn _and the most expressive eyes…." I thought about the way his jaw was hooked and how his golden eyes could smolder. His damn panty-dropping smile…right. Quit that. Immediately.

I cleared my throat, "Anyway his hair is like, extremely wild. Like he never does anything about it after he leaves his bed in the morning." I was doing everything in my might, not to sigh.

"Wow! From the sounds of it, he must be really awesome! Have you already gave him a lip-lock against the lockers?" there was her suggestive tone again. I just kept blushing, on and on, and on.

"Uhm..no. the thing is…he's out of my league. And I'm sure he doesn't even like me." I hated it, that my voice sounded so sad when I said this.

"Oh Melody..it will be fine. Just, have patience. Your Prince Charming will find you! And.." she was interrupted by someone, I heard her talking off the line.

"sorry, Mells, but I have to go. Preparations and stuff you know? Anyway; what I wanted to say before we hang up is this – Don't wait for the perfect moment, take the moment and make it perfect. You should think about that sometime." Her voice was soft, holding the sound of the love she had for me as her youngest sister. I told her it was alright.

"Good. Dream sweet dreams, Baby Swan. We'll talk to each other as soon as we can, okay?"

"Okay. Tell the other I love them." My throat constricted with emotion.

"will do. I love you baby sis!" she said back.

"love you to, sister, love you too." With that, I hung up the phone.

I got up from the bed to retrieve my IPod. I was in the mood for some hard music. Maybe a crying jag, would be nice too. I went back to the bed, crawled under the covers and shut the lights down, only leaving on the fairytwinkles. I started the music player and closed my eyes.

It started….

_Makes me that much stronger_

_Makes me work a little bit harder_

_ Makes me that much wiser_

_ Thanks for making me a fighter_

_ Made me learn a little bit faster_

_ Made my skin a little bit thicker_

_ Makes me that much smarter_

_ So thanks for making me a fighter!_

And went on….

_I didn't want us to burn out_

_ I didn't come here to hurt you_

_ Now I can't stop_

And on…

_I won't let it get to me no more_

_ I don't wanna feel this way_

_ I can't believe I let it go so far_

_ No, no it's not OK_

And a little further…

_This night is sparkling, don't you let it go_

_ I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home_

_ I'll spend forever wondering if you knew_

_ I was enchanted to meet you_

Until I fell asleep songs later with this….

_When I look into eyes_

_ It's like watching the night sky, or a beautiful sunrise_

_ There's so much they hold_

_ And just like them old stars_

_ I see that you've come so far_

_ To be right where you are_

_ How old is your soul?_

"No…"

"NO! please STOP! NO!"

_'It's all your fault! Everything! I created a monster and I need to end it now too.' her dark voice echoed through the old expired baseball stadium. The rain came down like a waterfall from the sky, while thunder rumbled in the air._

_ Her blazing red eyes where those from a killer, ready to kill. 'I couldn't kill you last time, but this time you won't be so lucky.' She growled, her body shaking with the anger and restraint she put on her steel-like muscles. _

_'Why!? Why are you doing this? I'm your daughter for Fuck's sake! You made me! You gave birth to me! I haven't done anything wrong!' I stood there, completely soaked. The skin of my belly was completely smooth and tattoo-less. My stance was protective. I shouldn't have been so stupid to take my three cousins with me. But at that time I hadn't known this would happen._

_'haven't done anything wrong!? You did EVERYRTHING WRONG! You're dangerous! You don't DESERVE to live! Nobody will ever love you! And I'll end you!' she was screaming now. My heart ached as she said those words. I expected tears, but it only seemed to fuel my rage.'_

"You don't have to do this…"

"No..leave them out of this.." I whimpered.

_ 'Her strong body shook with rage, the strength. Flashes of lightning shot out of her hands. Ready to attack. Before I could do anything to protect myself, it was too late. Blue lightning exploded and I was being electrocuted. I let out an heart-wrenching scream from the agonizing pain._

_ 'Melody! Please say something!' I heard Faith by my ear._

_ 'Check her heart and lungs!' I heard Alana scream._

_ 'What have you done you fucking LEECH!' Denim screamed at the cruel women that called herself my mother._

I screamed. I squirmed. I kicked and I cried. "NO! IT HURTS! HELP ME! PLEASE!"

I felt someone shake me awake. The desperate screams slowed down as snapped my eyes open. My vision was blurred with the tears I'd shed. I blinked a few times until I could easily make out y father worried face in the dark.

"Melody? Ssshh…it was a nightmare. You're safe here." A huge sob escaped my throat and I busted out crying.

"Daddy…" I managed through the sobs.

"It's okay. I'm here. Daddy is here."


	29. Chapter Twenty-Eight

I was stupid when I thought moving to Forks would fade the memories. I had been terribly mistaken. Charlie had cradled me in his arms, while I cried my heart out. He went away for a moment and then came back with his pillow. He got in my bed laid down and I curled up against him. I felt safe, just like ten years ago. When I was still a little girl in the strong and safe arms of her father. At some point, we both fell asleep.

I stirred when I heard a door screeching. My eyelids fluttered and slowly, I opened them. It looked like it was a rainy day – my bedroom was still dark. I sat up, stretching my limbs and got out. I wasn't in the mood for jeans and all today, so I grabbed my way to huge sweatpants and a dark grey shirt with long sleeves. It fitted my mood. After brushing my teeth and making a messy bun of my hair, I went downstairs.

I stumbled into the kitchen, having no clue of what time it was – seeing the clock it was after noon. I got myself a glass of milk and with a grumble I sat down on my chair.

"Hey, are you okay?" I looked up and saw Bella standing hesitantly standing in the doorway. _'Maybe I should just…leave her? But her screams were so…terrifying..' _

"I feel better now, thanks." I tried a half smile, but it probably looked tired and missed the eye sparkle.

"Dad told me why you were screaming. It must have been a terrible nightmare." She said as she sat down in front of me, still hesitant. She kept talking while I didn't say a word.

"I had a nightmare too. It was pretty silly actually." She shook her head and snorted a little. "but, ehm, I wanted to ask you something.." she was nervous. I was surprised to read she felt a little guilty for the way she treated me. Especially because Charlie told her this morning I'd been through a lot before I got here. It was a good thing she hadn't ask further about that.

I nodded at her question.

"Ehm.. alright, promise me you won't laugh okay?" she said, biting her lip. I shook my head no.

"Okay, well, did you notice there's something..strange about the Cullens? Or am I just the only one? And with that story Jacob told, about them being vampires? I mean it's so weird but I kind of believe it you know. I even searched the internet." She confessed. Now I needed to watch out with what I said.

"Well, they're different that's for sure. What did you found on the internet?" I wanted to know how much she actually found. Maybe it was just the crap everyone told kids with Halloween.

"Oh, eh…about vampires. There are different kinds. Like, the _Stregoni Benefici_ or… _Nelapsi_…even more. The site said the first one were good vampires. I mean that's good news right?" she was still nervous.

"Uhm..yeah I think it is. But maybe you should just let it..be?" I suggested. She knew more than I wanted.

"No..I can't. I want to know about Edward. He's been acting so weird all the time. And I'm sure he's in love with me, so I think it's only fair if I know his secrets." She answered curtly. And here I thought we were getting some peace between us.

"Look, Bella. Do what you want. It's not any of my business. But be careful. And don't jump to conclusions so fast. Maybe you're absolutely wrong." I replied. I needed to safe their secret.

"Exactly. I do what I want. And if I'm sure Edward is a vampire, you'll be the last to know!" she hissed before stomping out of the kitchen. I still sat on my chair, staring into nothing when I heard her yell.

"I'm going for a walk. See ya, captain clumsy!" with that, she slammed the front door shut. I sighed and grumbled again. I was bored of sitting at a table, so I started with the preparations of the promised High Tea. Maybe I could distract myself with that.

I made sure everything I needed was set on the kitchen table, within reach. I started with making little sandwiches with different kinds of spreads – salmon with garlic butter and cheese with cream cheese and chervil.

After those were done and placed neatly on a plate, I moved further with the cupcakes. I made the baking mix and let it drip into the tins. I placed it in the oven and moved on with preparing the fondant and icing. It wouldn't be a huge high tea; only cupcakes and sandwiches, but Charlie would love it. While the cakes were baking, I picked up my Harry Potter book and read further until the chime of the kitchen alarm told me the muffins were done. I got them out and let them cool down a bit. Once cooled, I applied different colors of fondant and patterns. On one of them, I wrote – I Love Daddy.

I cleaned up the counter and went back to reading, waiting for Charlie to return from the reservation.

"Bella? Melody?" I heard the familiar gruff voice of my dad and I immediately shove my book aside.

"Hey Dad! I made you the mini High Tea I promised you!" I said brightly. His face softened at seeing my smile.

"You did, honey? That's really sweet! So, where is your sister? than we can start before it gets wasted." He said as he followed me to the kitchen, where the table was set with etageres and a teapot.

"Bella's taking a walk…oh wait, she's back." I said when I heard her thoughts from outside. What she was thinking made me worried. She'd made her choice – she wasn't going to back down from Edward because he was a vampire. Having a vampire boyfriend sounded pretty awesome to her, just like in the vampire diaries.

"Hey guys. Eh..wow. You've busy! I'm starving!" she kicked out her shoes and sat down next to Charlie. I gave Charlie the special cupcake I made for him and he smiled, the deep emotion written all over his face. At least I could make someone happy.

"Enjoy." I giggled and we started to eat. I had some thinking and warning to do, but that was planned for later – right now I would just turn the knob and stop thinking.

Later that night, when I made myself ready for bed, I'd already made a plan.

I would tell Alice as soon as Bella revealed her suspicious to Edward. Which she most likely would. I'd thought about telling her now, but I was sure they would run if I did. I didn't want that to happen. if I only thought about a life without Alice or Edward in it…or even without Rose and Jasper..I didn't even want to think about that. I didn't understand my emotions and feelings anymore. maybe that was also part of the transformation, but I didn't dare to ask Adam about it – he probably wanted to know why. I didn't know why. I felt things I didn't want to feel, things I don't want to feel and things I never felt before. It was all really tiring.

I quickly crawled under the duvet and sighed deeply once. I'd been trying to ignore the faint sounds coming from Bella's room for at least ten minutes now. Her mind didn't make it easier for me. The things she thought about Edward…Good Lord! And here I thought my siblings were worse when it came to anything that includes sexuality. I grabbed a pillow and pushed it over my ears, waiting for my sister to be..done. It was a good thing for her that Charlie always slept so tightly. Off course I had supersensitive hearing, he didn't.

"…My god!" I heard Bella whimper. I gritted my teeth and scrunched my eyes shut. it was like this every single night. It was almost like she needed an orgasm or she wouldn't be able to sleep.

I waited until it was completely silent and Bella was in dreamland. I put the pillow that was clamped on my head, back in its place.

My sister have tried to give me 'the talk' for two years now. I always had a way to sneak away as fast as I could muster. They kept asking me about my sexual activity. When I once asked them in return why the hell they wanted to know that, they just answered that it was an important subject to talk about. I'd blushed furiously and rolled my eyes, before diving under the kitchen table. It wasn't something I was busy with. Bella, way to obviously, was. off course I'd been curious about things, but I never acted on it.

And now I was actually considering that it maybe was smart to get a little used to that. You never know what could cross your path. But how in the world did it work? All those other's probably had someone in their heads whom fulfilled their fantasies in lust-filled dreams. I hadn't. Or maybe I did…but I couldn't bring myself to supposedly think about _him_ like _that_. The blazing blush that crept in my cheeks when I only thought about thinking about him. I really needed to stop that. I shook my head and waited for my blush to sink. Now, thinking about how awesome the ceiling looked – really distracting – I fell asleep within moments, forgetting every sexy thought I wanted to think about someone in particular.

Bella and I arrived at school a little earlier than planned. not that I minded much – I still needed a cool down and the morning air of Forks was a good way to go for that. I sat down on one of the picnic benches outside and started drawing mindlessly. I wondered where Alice was. maybe still hunting, but it was a little sunny. So they were possibly back in town, but couldn't get out because of the weather. Which left me on a very boring friendless Monday.

When I took a look at my 'dribbles' I gasped. This was getting creepy. I obviously hadn't just dribbled little hearts, rainbows and stars. No, my subconscious was much more detailed. I had drawn a face portrait of Edward. everything included – smoldering eyes, panty-dropping smile and not to forget his amazing sex-hair. It looked like a real shot photograph. I'd drawn like this before – when my sisters asked me to do so, but it was weird I was so distracted, that I drew an almost cloned image of him.

Why did he keep getting into my head?

It was lunchtime by now. It was awfully boring without Alice, Rosalie and Jasper. I sat with my old group again, listening to their conversations without mingling myself in it.

"Okay. So what time are we going tonight? Need to ask my Dad if he's okay with it." I caught Bella, Angela, Lauren and Jessica's conversation while I slowly ate my sandwich. They were heading to Port Angeles tonight, a place close by, to shop for dresses. Bella's wasn't going off course, nether was I, but I wanted to go out for the night.

"You're going to PA? Do you mind if I join you? I need a few things from a few shops." I suddenly ask, surprising myself. I was afraid for their answers – they probably wouldn't want me there with them. As they considered, I read their minds sneakily.

_'She? Why does she suddenly think she can talk to us? She should sit with the Cullens. But…if she's with us, I have lots of fun by making fun of her.'_ Lauren Mallory would only agree with something, if it worked in her benefit.

_'she's probably not what you call the shopping type. Look at those shoes, so ugly! At least she won't claim my time for dress shopping then._' I never expected Jessica Stanley to think anything positive about me, so this wasn't a surprise either.

_'the things she said about me…and now she suddenly wants to be with us again? I don't get her.' _Luckily, Angela Weber wasn't all too cruel.

_'…does she have to..but if the other's are fine with it...No! I don't want my baby sister with us, but damn, what if she tells Charlie. Then I'm not even allowed to go at all. Stupid little sister.' _At least Bella thought it was kind of nice to have me with them. Yeah, right. Huge sarcasm.

"Sure, Captain Clumsy, join us. we're leaving right after school." Lauren spat after the four of them had exchanged looks of approval.

Luckily, like this, I wouldn't have the chance to think..sexy thoughts. I would spare myself lots of embarrassing moments.


	30. Chapter Twenty-Nine

That afternoon right after the last class of the day ended, Bella drove us home to drop our bags and get our handbags and wallets for our shopping trip. We got in Jessica's car – Lauren up front and Angela, Bella and I in the back. I was glad to sit next to Bella this time. they had put on the radio and whined along with the latest hot songs. I kept it at lip-syncing. They talked about the boys in school and which they'd once dated or were going to. Real girl talk. Not my cup of tea.

I felt my phone vibrating in my jeans pocket. I pulled it out and saw who send me a message.

**AC: Hey! How was your weekend? Sorry I haven't let u hear anything from me…was busy. I think I'm back school 2morrow. XOXO **

A nagging feeling crept over my spine. I couldn't bombard the news over text messages.

**MS: Hi! It was fine. It's ok! I had a lot on my mind, too. Yeah..about that: we need 2 talk soon. Don't panic it's not that bad. XOXO**

I pressed 'send' and prayed she'd take it in the right way – which meant don't run.

**AC: …Alright. We'll talk 2morrow. U sure everything is fine? Where are you anyway? XOXO**

I was far from fine actually. But she'd find out soon enough.

**MS: I'm headed to PA. needed 2 clear my head 4 a while. I'll explain everything when we talk. XO**

Her last message said that it was okay and that she was curious. Off course she was. I put my phone back in my pocket and tried to catch up with the conversations that went on in the car.

"I think that Mike is so cute! It's so awesome we're going to the dance together! Maybe Saturday is my chance for the next step."I heard Jessica say from the driver's seat. I thought it was kind of ridiculous they were thinking this way. Sure, Jessica had a thing for Mike, but she wasn't head over heels in love with him.

"Really? That's so exciting for you, Jess! If it happens you need to tell us right after!" Bella said enthusiastically. The other two agreed with her. Lauren was next up about her boy-story.

"Yeah, well I hope Tyler is up to that too. have you ever seen his six-pack during gym? That's so awesome!" she sighed audibly and her mind showed exactly what she was planning. I did my very best not to puke.

"Angela? Whom are you taking to the dance?" Lauren asked sneakily. She was just so false.

"I'm going with Ben Cheney. You know that guy we share History with? I think he's pretty." Angela piped up. I watched her as she talked. She had changed – not only her way of being, but her appearance as well. She wasn't that polite, shy daughter of the pastor any longer. Her glasses had changed into contacts, her hair – that was always in a ponytail – was loose and straight. She wore just as much makeup as the others did. And she even got mean to people. It made me sad that this happened. We could've been great friends.

"And you Bella? You're not going but with whom would you want to go? Maybe you can buy a dress after all!" Angela asked Bella.

"I totally wanted to go with Edward off course. But who wouldn't want that? He's too hot for his own good. But we're going to Seattle together!" I heard four girls squealing at the same time in the small space of the car.

"Have you had a boyfriend before, Bell? " Lauren asked suddenly. I was curious about what she was going to answer – she'd had boyfriends. You wouldn't be able to count them on at least three hands.

"Oh..uh. Well I've been out on a date once when I was thirteen. That guy gave me my first kiss and that's it." she looked sideways at me, silencing me with her dead-glare. I didn't say a word. She'd need to talk herself out of lies like this later on.

"And you, Clumsy? Ever had a boyfriend or just a guy?" she asked sneering while looking at me through the rearview mirror. I had an honest answer.

"No never. I've never been busy with that." I said, looking outside, seeing cars flying by.

Bella made a huffing sound, "Well, you're pretty well practiced with flirting, aren't you?" she said snidely. I rolled my eyes. Why were we still having this discussion all the time?

Jessica changed the subject by starting about which kind of dresses they wanted. I kept myself silent throughout the rest of the car drive.

Once we got a parking spot, we got out and went for a nearby dress shop called 'Dressies'. Very creative, I thought sarcastically. When I entered through the doors, the girls were already tugging at dresses on the hangers. I slowly walked over to a section with mini dresses. I used to wear them a lot before. Maybe buying a dress or two wouldn't hurt my closet. I was pretending to have a wedding that Saturday after all.

"Can I help you with something, miss?" I turned around to see the sales assistant standing next to a mirror.

"Oh, well, I'm looking for something cute. Romantic and girly? If you have that in store off course." I asked for the first thing that came up in my head. Maybe I could wear it out to dinner sometime.

"Off course I have dear! Follow me." the sales assistant exclaimed. She began walking to another section. I saw lots of chiffon, lace and soft colors. I liked it.

"Is it for a special occasion?" the older women asked further. It wasn't, but I had a feeling I'd need it. I went with a white lie.

"Well, I have a dinner date and I'm looking for something sweet. Not too dressy I think." I explained. She nodded and grabbed one from its rail. It was mint green, probably above the knee with a chiffon skirt and flowery details at the top. It was pretty, but not my style, which I told the sales woman. She grabbed another one, cream colored this time. It was satin with short sleeves and a v-neck. It was getting closer. As the sales woman took another one from its hook, I gasped.

"Can I try that one?" I asked, smiling broadly. I gave her my size and she picked it for me.

Once I squeezed myself into the dress and watched myself in the mirror, I smiled delighted.

It was pale pink colored. The drapery bodice ended at my waist, a few inches beneath my breasts. The bodice had a heart shape, which made my chest look more on display. At mid-waist, where the bodice went over to the chiffon skirt, was a thin black strap with a small bow in the middle. The skirt fell just beneath my thighs – not too long and not too short. I turned around and watched the v-shape back. The skirt wasn't too puffy at all – something you see a lot with those dresses. I truly and absolutely loved it.

"And? Does is fit?" I heard the sales assistant ask from outside the dressing room. I stepped out and she smiled.

"You look beautiful darling! Is it the right size?" I nodded at her and twisted my hair into a knot with my hands, making my arms turn upwards, revealing my tattoo.

_Fast As Lightning.._

"Do I need to get you another? Or doesn't it matter your tattoo is showing?" she asked hesitantly. I read from her mind she'd had tattooed women before who desperately wanted to hide their body arts beneath the dress. I didn't. I was proud of it.

"No. I think this dress is just perfect." I turned around to get back into the dressing room, when I saw Lauren's head sticking around the corner, followed by the others. I quickly rushed behind the curtain.

"Is everything alright, dear?" I heard the sales assistant, whose name was Claire, asking.

"I'm fine. I just wanted to hurry, that's all." I quickly began unzipping the dress before stepping out. I dressed into my own clothes again and got out of the dressing room. My sister and her 'army' stood with their backs to me, looking at the dress Lauren was wearing – hot pink colored off course.

I hurried out of the dressing area and headed back to Claire.

"I'm sorry Ma'am. I didn't want my sister to see it yet, that's why I acted so strange." I smiled shyly, lying everything together today. I truly was a sinful creature.

"Ah, it's alright dear! Do I need to wrap it, miss?" she asked in return. I nodded and handed her the dress. She wrapped it in see-through paper and positioned it in a black shopping bag.

"Do you want to watch further or purchase?" Claire asked me. I told her I wanted to look for a few others so I would pay later. Claire wanted to know if I needed any help with it but I told her I probably would later.


	31. Chapter Thirty

"Oh, there you are. We lost you. Did you get drowned in the dresses or something." Lauren's shrill voice made the hairs in my neck stand up straight.

"That I'm not going to the dance doesn't mean I can't look around for a dress you know." I replied sharply. She huffed and went back to looking at herself in the mirror.

After sitting, complimenting and advising for a while, I went back to looking for something on my own. I walked up to Claire for some help.

"Ma'am, is there a section with casual dresses too? Which I can wear to school for example?" I asked shyly. Claire gave me directions and I thanked her before walking to the very back of the shop. This was casual dress heaven. So sad Alice wasn't here to squeal with me. I started with the basics – thigh length, tightly fit and long-sleeved in every color I'd want. I grabbed a few to try later. I kept tugging and grabbing dresses when I found one that made me blush and wanting it at the same time.

The dress was black and tight fit with short-sleeves. On the front was a zipper that went from top to the bottom. The back was low cut, until the waist I guessed. It was simple and seductive. I added that one to my growing pile too.

I went back to the dressing room area and saw the other busy trying on all kinds of dresses – short, long , straps, bandeau, black, colors.

"Well, from the looks of it you're quite on a roll." Jessica commented when I shoved a curtain aside and hung up the dresses.

"Yeah, those aren't so expensive and I like them." I said while shrugging.

"You need to get out when you're wearing one. Then we can advise you."Lauren said. _'this is going to be so much fun. And if I can talk her off of those dresses, I can buy them.'_ Yeah, right. As if I'm not buying something because they say it's not pretty.

I started out with all the basics – they all were the same but just different colors and prints.

I did as Lauren asked – once I'd put on a simple black one, I stepped out.

"That's so boring. It's black. What shoes would you wear beneath it? sneakers?" they all giggled at Lauren's comment. I knew better.

"Well, I have those black high-heels with red sole. I think they'd be great with this." I said casually. It wasn't a lie – a guy would run away screaming once he saw _all_ my shoes.

Without waiting for any response, I went back behind the curtain to try all the others.

Pink "the color doesn't suit you." Lauren cawed. I have a lot of pink in my closet.

Blue " makes you too pale." Jessica said. I already was paler than pale so that didn't make sense.

Green "You look like grass or something." Bella disgusted. Then I would feel at home in Forks.

Dots "do we need to say anything about that?" Angela asked. no you don't - I like dots.

I was starting to get sick off it. I had a few of them to go but I wanted to try those for myself. I put on the black simple but seductive dress I drooled over earlier and put that on. I got out and I inwardly grinned as their eyebrows shot up in surprise. They hadn't expected it.

Lauren was already starting to comment "Eh..isn't that way too slutty for you? I mean.." I interrupted her

"No it's not. I choose what I want myself – I don't need any off you for that. Got it?" and with this being said I went back to trying the dresses on my own, without getting out of the dressing room.

When I was done, I had twelve dresses, including the chiffon dress from earlier.

I got, red, soft pink, blue, black, white, harsh green, black with pink dots, pale pink covered in lace, wine-red, nude colored and last but not least the simple but seductive as I preferred to call it.

I took them all to Claire and placed them on the counter. "Wow! You've been busy, dear. And you're lucky – those are two for the price of one, which makes $ 10 per two dresses!" Now that's great. Claire began purchasing all of them and wrapping them up. Luckily it were thin materials, so it all fit in one shopping bag. Except for the other which was already wrapped.

"That makes $140 dollars, miss." She said, looking a little guilty. She thought I couldn't pay it.

"Can I pay by credit card?" I asked as I took the black card out of my wallet. _'Oh Lord! She must be from a wealthy family then.' _

Well, Claire, you could say that. I handed her my credit card and she took the right amount from it. _'Swan? As in daughter of the Chief from Forks? He's never been really wealthy…' _

I almost rolled my eyes, but didn't. Charlie wasn't, but me and my siblings were. Because when you can read minds yourself and you have two brothers and a sister whom are more than one hundred years old…Yeah, then you have a good bank.

"Here you go, miss. Have a nice day!" Claire exclaimed as she handed met the two bags. I thanked her and went back to the others.

"$ 140 dollars? Do you have a sugar daddy or something?" Lauren couldn't just shut het mouth now could she?

"No," I said nonchalantly, "I had a job." I'd worked with Layla in her Cake shop every day after school.

We left Dressies and were headed to another shop.

"So where are we going next?" I asked.

"You'll see." Bella said. I searched her mind and almost fainted when I found our destination.

Victoria's Secret. Lingerie.


	32. Chapter Thirty-One

While they were picking things of the racks enthusiastically, I felt awfully uncomfortable. But it wasn't because of the lingerie – I had to choose things with _them_ close by. The worst thing was, that I actually needed new stuff. As I stood close to a table with sales, looking around and checking my surroundings, someone spoke up to me.

"Can I help you with something, Miss?" I whirled around, facing a woman in her mid-thirties, smiling at me. I looked at the group of girls, my 'friends', again and decided.

"Actually, you can. I'm looking for just the basic underwear section?" I let it sound like a question. The sales assistant nodded, "Sure, Miss. Follow me." I did as she suggested, walking behind her through the aisles.

"This is our basic section. If you need any help, or want to have something more exciting, you can ask me." she said, the bright smile still plastered on her face. The reason for her brightness was, that she just found out she was pregnant for the first time. her mind was giddy and sweet with images of the future. I smiled back at her. I told her thanks and went for the things I needed.

Once I got my basic stuff from its rail, I caught sight of a rail with nightgowns, barely there thongs and lots of lacy bra's. I looked back at the things in my hand – two bra's, plain black and plain white and two thongs, same colors. I looked at the more exciting things again. I bit my lip, completely in duality. I blushed just thinking

about wearing it, but on the other hand, something told me I needed it. I wanted it. I was fifteen and I wanted to feel…sexy. Like a woman, even though I still wasn't one. I looked around, watching if Bella or someone else wasn't close and then hurried to the next section. It must have looked pretty funny, seeing me waddle like that. When I reached my destination, I began to explore. So many textures, sizes, colors and prints. And here I was – always wearing plain colors. I saw a white bra with romantic lace and a little bow in the middle. I looked for my size and grabbed it, adding the matching thong with it. I did the same with a black set. Just when I was about to turn and seek for a few nightgowns to replace my pajamas, I saw another set. It was nude colored , but pale-pinkish. On the borders of the cups was a trail of lace which made it complete. Even though it was so not a Melody-thing to shop lingerie – I was totally in love with it. I added this set to my pile too. I turned around to look at the aisle with the nightgowns. Babydolls, teddies, garters and a lot more things that made me blush like a Brit. I gathered all my courage and started searching for something cute, but sexy.

Sometime later, I had added four gowns to my pile. I got on my way to the dressing rooms, praying I would have an encounter with Bella and her army. Thankfully, I got into a dressing room without one of them noticing me. Jessica, Lauren, Angela and Bella were a few booths across from me. I hung up the articles and started undressing my upper clothes and bra. I faced the large mirror and studied myself. I felt so vulnerable, standing like that. I was little with my 1.59 meters, but meanwhile, I was slender. I had this ultra famous hourglass shape. My breasts stood proudly on my chest. I was generously created – they didn't hang or had a strange shape. Sometimes my sisters joked about me having fake ones, which wasn't true off course. It was meant as a compliment, but still I felt so unsure about my body. I couldn't imagine a guy being interested in me _that way_.**** I caught myself when my thoughts sneakily went to Edward. I didn't understand why that always seemed to happen.

After trying on the three bra's, which all fitted perfectly, I grabbed the first babydoll from its hook. It was night blue and the voile fell naturally alongside my skin. The texture felt fabulous. Thanks to the deep and dark color, my scars and tattoos weren't too visible underneath. Looking into the mirror, I blushed once more. I felt so different, yet only more myself. I think it's supposed to be a phase I need to go through – from a girl to a woman. A confident, independent and above all _sexy _woman. A smile spread across my still red face. Enthusiastically, I threw out the first gown and quickly grabbed the other. It was the one which matched the nude-pale-pinkish set. This time I could see my scars and body-art, but it didn't matter – I felt beautiful, even though I thought it myself.

I moved on with the last two – black satin and soft pink with little bows and roses on the cups. Those two were most definitely going with me as well. It was a good thing I had an endless amount of money.

I hurriedly redressed in my clothes and got out of the dressing room, noticing that Bella and the others were already standing at the cashiers desk. I slowly walked up to them, hoping they wouldn't want to see what I'd chosen.

"Are you going to buy something Mells?"I heard Bella ask. I felt my face warm up in embarrassment, while I placed the articles on the counter for the cashier to purchase.

"Yeah…I needed new…stuff." I quickly said, hoping she'd drop the subject.

"Whatever. Bells are you going with us? I need a smoke. We'll wait outside for Clumsy." Lauren said snidely. How I loved her. Yeah, right. As they left the shop, I focused on the task at hand. The cashier looked in the gowns, looking for my size, which was strange. Why would she need to know? Then she walked over to a small closet and grabbed three packages from different piles. I frowned.

"What's in there?" I asked, still not understanding what she was doing.

"Oh, we have an action at the moment – a free lingerie-present along with every bra-thong set." She said smiling. I blushed again. now I had seven gowns – one for every night of the week. She wrapped everything up while I paid for it.

Once she'd handed me the bag, I left the shop.

"Have a nice evening, Miss!" I heard the cashier say from behind me. did I even want to know what was in the in pink wrapped 'presents'? I shook my head and searched for the other girls, who were smoking.

"Right. Where are we heading now?" Bella asked as she dropped her cigarette on the ground before tapping it out.

"What about EllaBijoux? We seriously need some awesome jewelry with our dresses." Jessica responded, dropping her cigarette as well, Angela following the movement.

"Okay, EllaBijoux it is then. Bella, Clumsy, you're in?" Lauren asked. I already decided to ignore the silly nickname she'd given me.

_'Damn! I want to go but…I need that book…'_ Bella was hesitating.

"Well, I want to go to a bookstore. I'm through my novels. Bella?" It was a lie, as usual, but I wanted to know what book Bella was looking for.

"Ah, well. I have the same problem here. I'll go with Mells. Where do we meet again?" she asked, happy she wouldn't have to go alone.

"Okay. What about we have dinner in that super cute Italian restaurant? You know, Bella Italia or something? At six?" Jessica suggested. I nodded, "fine by me."

We all agreed with Jessica's idea and Angela gave us the route for the bookstore and later for the restaurant. We parted from the girls and started our way to the bookstore.

After it was silent for a while, Bella suddenly started talking.

"Mells? Remember when, you know, we talked about…that story Jacob told us? do you believe it? That's it true I mean?" she asked, biting her lip in nervousness. I didn't really know how to answer, but seeing Alice being my best friend and Bella already almost knowing, I couldn't deny it any longer.

"Yeah…I think it is. What about it?" I asked in return. Bella seemed to relax a bit after my answer.

"Well, I need a book from the bookstore. It's about cold ones. Then maybe we can find out more?"

"I think you're right. We can search together. Just don't tell the others, though." She nodded in understanding and I checked her mind if she meant it, which she did. We walked further, thinking of the best ways to approach this of confront the Cullens.

I had a feeling the evening wouldn't end anytime soon.


	33. Chapter Thirty-Two

"Look, here is it." Bella said, having found our destination.

"Let's find that book then." I said smiley. We entered the shop and I looked at my surroundings. There were Indian headdresses settled in the window and dream catchers were everywhere. Having a quick look at the book covers I started to get curious. There were a lot of books about fantasy stories, humans and above all; legends.

"Melody, over here!" I heard Bella say. I rounded a bookcase and saw her standing in front of the 'Legends and Myths' section.

"Okay, so, what book do you need?" I asked. Bella wanted to answer, even though I'd already heard it in her mind, but she was interrupted was the flimsy voice of an old woman.

"do you darling girls need any help?" she asked. the hairs in my neck stood straight. Bella gasped in shock – she hadn't heard the woman nearing us. We traded a look at each other before Bella answered the woman's question.

"Well, we're looking for the book 'Quileute Legends'. Do you have this in store?" she asked, her voice a little shaky. The woman was, apparently, creeping us both native American woman squinted her eyes and looked sharply at me.

_'She's not human…vampire…no, something more detailed….Hybrid. she's an hybrid.' _I swallowed the gasp that was about to escape form my throat and looked away. How could she possibly know?

"Well, I don't have that book. But tell me, why would two young ladies be looking for a book like that? Maybe I can help you further." She asked snarly. She didn't like me, that was for sure.

"Ah, well, thank you but no thanks. We'll try somewhere else." Bella told the woman, who was still looking at me sharply. "Mells, I'm going to look for a fantasy book or something." My sister walked past me and the scary woman. I turned around, wanting to search further in hope to find something for Adam. You never could have too much information.

"If you kill that girl, I'll make sure they come after you, you leech." The dark woman said darkly, anger seeping around the edge of her voice. I turned around, angered now too. I was done with this.

"for your information, _dog, _as if you never killed. Don't act like it worse when I do." I growled. Luckily Bella didn't have a clue this woman and I were having this conversation.

"Get what you need and leave my shop, mutant!" she hissed. "Fine." I growled back. I quickly began searching again for something useful. _Dragons in War, Demons are among us, Vampires A till Z, the Gods of Mount Olympus, werewolves and enemies. _Still not what I wanted. Then, my finger landed on a book with a velvet, black cover. In red letters was written Mythical Humans. The syllable of Hybrids of all kinds. I grabbed it and looked into the index.

It wasn't about hybrids of all kinds. It was about my kind. Vampire Hybrids. Maybe I could find information in this that could help me, us – my siblings. I closed it again and walked to the desk where the old-Quileute descendant was standing. Her eyes widened as I placed the book on the counter.

" $8 dollars, mutant." She hissed at me again. I huffed frustratingly. She threw it into a paper back and handed it to me.

"Get out of here, monster." Her voice full with hatred didn't affect me.

"With pleasure, fur ball." I growled at her before turning around fiercely and leaving the shop. Bella stood outside, waiting for me. I swallowed, trying to control my rage before I walked up to her. The woman stood watching us closely, I saw it in her mind.

"Bella? Did you find anything?" I asked, the raw edge still in my voice.

"No. it didn't look like a shop with chicklits, so." she smiled. "Damn, now we can't search further. I searched through the internet but that was actually pretty stupid and all." She admitted, casting her eyes downwards.

"We won't need it. if you're sure about it, then confront him. You'll notice soon enough if he wants to drop the subject or not." I advised. Bella nodded. "Alright. Let's find that restaurant. I'm starving." She chuckled and started walking towards the path. I shook my head, gave the woman from the shop one last fury look and followed Bella. 

We were silent during the walk. It was getting dark and there wasn't much light. The night send shivers down my spine. When we rounded a corner, I saw two shadows stalking towards us. they were laughing and barely walking straight. Drunken men.

"Bella, we need to get away from here."I said, pulling at her arm.

"That are those gross dudes." she said engrossed. I looked at her warily. In her mind, her memory, I saw a group of men walking past the window while Bella, Jessica, Lauren and Angela were fitting dresses. They'd whistled and tapped on the window.

They came closer and I dragged Bella with me.

_'We're so lucky….nice bodies…easy victims…sex..' _one of their minds lulled with a drunken haze.

"Bella we need to get out of her. Now!" I exclaimed. She looked at me, fear written in her eyes. "Run." Was the only thing I said before we ran away from them. They followed us, but we were faster.

We came upon and industrial area when I saw another group of drunken men coming in our direction. _'We are being hounded!' _Bella's fearful thought made the adrenaline race through my veins and I started to get furious again, coupled with the fear from what was happening. We were trapped. We had nowhere to go.

"Hey…pretty ladies…want to have some fun…do you.." one of the men said. The smell of alcohol was thick in the air. I tried to ignore the sick lustful thoughts they were having about us. I blocked the images of what they wanted to do with us.

"Don't touch me!"Bella exclaimed when one of them tried to. We stood with our backs against one another, praying to get out of here. But I couldn't kill them. They were human after all. When the man who had spoken wanted to grab me at the waist I tensed. Without thinking I rammed him on the nose, making it shatter while blood started to stream. Right at that moment, headlights of a car caught us in sight, when it raced around the corner. When I looked at whom was seated in it, my heart swelled with an emotion I never thought I would feel.

_Love. _


	34. Chapter Thirty-Three

**A/N: Okay! IK'm getting pretty impatient with only posting quite short chapters. so i though i might surprise you by posting longer chapters1 this way we'll be though it sooner and at the sequel!**

**hope you like!**

* * *

The car door swung open and was slammed close with a crash.

"Bella, Melody, get in the car!" he growled loudly, his piercing golden eyes blazing with fury. Bella didn't think twice and ran up to the Volvo, jumping in the passenger seat. I was motionless, eyes wide in shock, lips slightly apart. My arms couldn't move, my feet weren't able to make a step. I was completely dazed by what was happening. I wanted to say something, wanted to get away from here, but m body wouldn't let me.

"Edward…." I whispered so soft that is barely audible. His eyes shot to mine and my breathing sped up. he jogged in my direction, pushing the men whom had been focusing on their friend, out of his way. He gently took my hands and looked into my eyes, whose were still wide open. There was a strange sobbing sound heard, before he took me in his arms. My body was shaking.

"Shhh, Mells, they won't hurt you anymore. You'll be fine." I felt his hand stroking my hair, while he rocked me from side to side.

When he pulled away I gasped, afraid he would leave me. instead he picked me up, bridal style, and carried me to his car, whispering soothing words into my ear. He placed me behind Bella in the back seat, buckled my seatbelt and then closed the door. When he was settled in the driver's seat, he started the engine and drove away from the industrial area.

"Is she okay? What's going on?" Bella anxiously asked Edward. tears were streaming down my face now.

"Edward! she's crying! What's wrong with her?" my sister, whom always bullied me, started to get angry.

"She's probably in shock, Bella. That's not strange seeing what almost happened to you two." He said slowly, a raw edge in his voice. Bella nodded in understanding.

He was right. I was shocked. But none of it had something to with those men and what they'd wanted to do to us. It was him. Because of Edward. My sisters once told me that falling in love, for our kind, would give a lot of impact.

And I had fallen. Hard. I was in so much trouble.

"Are you okay, Bella?"he asked her while he sped through the streets of Port Angeles. I still hadn't moved or said a word.

_'play him._' "Well, I feel a little shaky. I think I need something to eat." She said with a voice so thin you would actually think she'd faint. Which she wasn't going to do – she was faking it.

I felt the car, which was racing out of town, stop immediately. Edward turned the vehicle around quickly, before racing back into town. Then I remembered something.

"We were supposed to meet up with your friends for dinner, B." I said, shocked by the rawness and husky edge in my voice. I was still shocked with my feelings.

Edward's eyes shot to mine via the rearview mirror, the intensity of his golden gems sending me shivers. I blinked once, waiting for Bella's response.

"Well, yeah we did. Edward? Can you get us to Bella Italia?" Bella asked while thinking hatred thoughts because I ruined her plan to be alone with her 'soon-to-be-boyfriend'.

Edward focused on the road again, shielding the pain his eyes hold away from me. he nodded and sped further through the streets of Port Angeles.

Not much later, he parked the car perfectly in a spot alongside the road, in front of the restaurant. Bella got out, Edward followed her. While I was till seated, not knowing whether to do or not, I saw Bella wanting to call out for her friends. They were just walking away from the restaurant, worried about where we might be. Edward stopped Bella from doing so. He grabbed her arm en whispered in her ear that she needed to stop them, before he needed to track down them later and that he wouldn't be able to restrain himself when he'd meet our other 'friends' again. I shivered again, not from the cold.

I must have been tuned out for a while – I hadn't noticed Edward and Bella had been talking about what almost happened.

Bella called out to the girls and they turned around, relieved. I followed their conversation, watching Edward and Bella closely as they talked to them.

"Where have you been?" Lauren asked flirtatiously because Edward was near.

"We got lost. Luckily we found Edward and he brought us here." She looked at Edward, admiring his beautiful features.

"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked with the most irresistibly voice I'd heard in my life. Jessica and Lauren nodded hastily.

"Ehm..We actually already ate. " Angela said dryly. The other two looked at her irritatingly.

"Right, what about it that I make sure Bella and Melody," he glanced back toward me, still sitting in his car," get something to eat? I'll drive them home afterward." He ensured them.

"Err…okay. Well, goodnight Bella,..Edward," Jessica said before the three girls went for her car. They looked back over their shoulders a few times, jealousy obvious in their faces.

"Bella, can you search for a table? Something private? Then I'll get your sister out of the car." Edward said to her. Bella nodded warily and went inside. Ten I saw Edward turning around and making his way over to me, opening the door. He bowed down to unbuckle my seatbelt. My eyes fluttered as he leaned over me to do that. His smell was intoxicating. Once I was freed from the seatbelt, he looked me, his pale angelic face close to mine. I was doing everything in my might not to do anything reckless, stupid or sudden. His face had softened, a small smile curved his lips.

"Do you feel better now, Mells?" he asked. I swallowed, feeling a bunch of emotions fly around making a teardrop leak from the corner of my eye. Edward saw it, frowned and ever so gently, he brushed it away with his thumb.

"Don't cry, please, don't. They can't hurt you anymore." his face was scrunched up in agony. it looked like he was really pained to see me cry. But that couldn't be true. I snapped out of my daze. He wasn't in love with me. He wanted Bella. Not me.

The soft teary look in my eyes was traded by one harsh, cold look. I saw his eyes widen when he noticed.

"I'm fine. I want to get out of this car." I said harshly. I felt a painful sting in my chest, at the same place where my heart lay, that heart he'd captured forever without even knowing it.

Edward moved away from the door, seeing me wanting to get out. The pain was still etched in his beautiful features. But I ignored it. I needed to. Only then there would be a chance I could get over this and accept his love for my lying sister. I got out and closed the door, maybe with a bit more strength I had intended, but I didn't care. I went into the direction of the restaurant and without having to look after me, I knew he was following me in a slow pace. As if I could sense him. I entered the restaurant and searched for the right mind. The mind I never wanted to hear again. Bella's. without thinking I went to the back of the restaurant where she was seated on a red cushioned bench. I plopped down in front of her in an all too unfeminine move. Bella arched her eyebrow when she studied my face, which stood hard in fury, frustration and heartache. She wanted to make a snarly comment but one look from me made her shut her mouth. She shouldn't start playing with fire here. I sensed him before he brushed past me and sat down between us, his face still conflicted. I averted my eyes and grabbed the menu. I was here to eat after all.

"Good evening, my name is Amber and I'm your waitress for tonight. What can I get you to drink?" I studied Amber for a second. She was tall, with short black hair and ruby red lips. she looked smart but internally she was thinking of the best ways to get Edward. I was starting to get why he always looked so frustrated – no wonder with all those girls breathing down your neck and thinking the most dirty thoughts about you. I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe you should ask the ladies first, miss." Edward said with his velvety voice, eyes smoldering as always and that small boyish smile curving his kissable lips. my mind was getting way too detailed about his appearance but I was too far gone to actually care. The waitress stood there, completely fluttered and changed into jell-o. she asked us for our drinks following his request.

"I'll have a Coke." Bella answered her. "Can I have some coffee?" I asked. I totally was in the mood for a mug. The waitress nodded and turned to Edward, whom ordered a Coke as well. When amber left to prepare our drinks, Bella huffed.

"What?" Edward asked, frowning. I looked at my sister who was thinking exactly what I was.

"I think you should stop doing that to people." Bella said, "it's just unfair." He kept looking at her confused. I sighed audibly, which made him turn towards me.

"Dazzling. You should stop to dazzle people. I think she actually fainted." I said, my voice still held an edge from the pain. Time to get used to that I guessed. He kept looking like he had no clue.

"You have to know what kind of influence you have on people! You can see that right?" Bella replied astonishingly.

"So..I dazzle people?" he stated, forming a question of the sentence.

"No, dude, you mean it." I said sarcastically. He chuckled – he must think it was amusing. Right at that moment, the waitress got there with our drinks. She placed Edward's and Bella's coke on the table, followed by my warm, steaming mug of Latte Macchiato. My absolute favorite.

"Do you want to order?" she asked looking only at Edward. it was actually starting to get rude.

"Bella? Did you chose already?" Edward ignored Amber's stares.

"Uhm…the mushroom ravioli?" Bella said with a questioning tone. Amber wrote it down before looking at Cullen. "And you?"

"Nothing for, thank you." Oh really?

The waitress wanted to walk away. She'd forgotten me. so I called after her.

"Spaghetti Carbonara, please." I said, ensured they had it. Edward seemed surprised and amused at the same time. I was starting to hate the word and phrase 'amusement'. He looked at me eyebrow raised, as I blew in my Latte.

"What?" I asked, irritated by the _amused _smile on his face.

"How in the world do you know that without even looking at the menu?" he asked in return. I snickered. Bella giggled.

"Edward, I'm part Italian. I grew up with this kind of food and stuff." now I was getting cocky. Wow, never expected that. Edward looked genuinely surprised at my statement.

As Bella drank something from her Coke, she shivered.

"Are you okay? Cold? Dizzy? Anything?" Edward hastily asked her. I concentrated on stirring my coffee with the spoon.

"I'm fine. It's just the Coke. Nothing's wrong, really." Bella responded.

He turned to me, "And you? Do you feel better?" the pained expression was back. _He's not in love with me._

"Fantastic. Never better, maestro." I said, huffing. He looked suspiciously at both of us.

"Edward, we're not getting in to shock." Bella ensured him.

"Every normal person should." He replied. Well he was right. Little did he know there were actually two mythical creatures sitting at this table. It could be a perfect scenario for some bad-ass movie. They should play poker and then one of them jumps up and kills the whole kitchen staff because they don't have pasta anymore. Voilá, end of movie.

I was totally losing my mind here.

"you're always crabbier when your eyes are black. Then I expect it. I have a theory about that." I heard Bella say. My poker-monster-pasta fantasy clearly made me miss something of the conversation at the table.

"I hope you're more creative this time. or are you still stealing ides from comic books?" with a faint smile he wanted to show he thought it was funny, but his eyes stood tight and tensed. I looked at Bella, she looked back with her decision clear in her brown eyes and in her head.

'_I'm going to tell him. after dinner I _will_ know what he is, damn-it.' _

" Well, I didn't come up with it on my own, but there weren't any comic books either." Bella moved on. Was she planning on baring his secret in a restaurant?

"And? What's your newest theory?" Edward asked in return, which I didn't got. If I were him I would do everything in my might to keep my secret and change the subject. Just as I wanted to jump in and do just that, the waitress rounded the corner with our food. She set our dishes in front of us and then turned to Edward. I think she didn't got the message earlier.

"did you change your mind? Isn't there anything else I can do for you?" _'giving you access to my bedroom perhaps?' _ I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Edward noticed.

"No thanks," his eyes stood icy as he said it, " but new drinks would be great. A Coke and….Melody," I turned my head, which was studying the table, towards him, "do you want coffee again or something else?" he asked genuinely, the softness had returned into his eyes and I did my very best not to swoon. Off course the blush was unstoppable.

"Uhm…I think I'd like some Apple juice."I stammered, receiving one of his lovely smiles. The waitress picked up the empty glasses and left again.

"Where were we?" Edward said, wanting to know what Bella came up with this time. I looked at Bella, pleading with my eyes that she wouldn't reveal it here.

"I'll tell you in the car, but only if…" he interrupted her. "There are conditions?" he asked, eyebrow raised and his voice iced again.

"We have questions." Bella simply answered. Somewhere, I was grateful that Bella wanted me to be part of this conversation. Edward let out an audible sigh, right at the moment that Amber, got back with our drinks, set them down and left without a word.

"Ask ahead." His voice was still harsh. I sipped at my juice as Bella asked the first question.

"Why are you in Port Angeles?"

He looked down at the table, his eyes flickering to mine and surprisingly, a smirk appeared on his face.

"next question."

"but that's the easiest one!" I objected, raising my voice a little.

"next" he repeated. I huffed. Stupid cocky vampire.

"all right. No question then. You know what people are thinking, don't you?" Bella moved on. Edward's eyes widened for a second and I hold a gasp that was about to escape. How in hell did she know?

"How does that work? How did you find us? How did you knew we were in trouble?" she moved on. Edwards eyes were conflicted, deciding to tell the truth or a lie.

"I don't have a choice anymore. You know more than I thought or gave you credit for. but the truth? Yes. You're right." He admitted. I already knew off course, but hearing him confessing it was so strange, making it much more real. I took another sip of juice followed by a small piece of my spaghetti.

"I followed you. I never tried to keep certain people alive. It's extremely difficult, believe me," his words came out in a rush, hard to follow." But that's probably because of you, " he looked at me, "you seem to get in so many trouble and problems just because you're so adorably clumsy. You're a danger to yourself." He finished. Did he seriously think that my clumsiness was adorably? The guy lost his mind. I didn't get him anymore. The one time he acts like he doesn't want to even know me. And then another time he's acting like I'm his high school sweetheart. I was lost for a minute, with the image of me being his. His girl. His love. Images of us holding hands, laughing, hugging and having fun. A dreamy and satisfied smile curved my lips slightly upwards. Edwards harsh voice woke me from my little daydream.

"I started to drive in circles, still… listening. The sun was finally setting, and I was about to get out and follow you two on foot. And then —" He stopped, clenching his teeth together in sudden fury. He was trying to calm himself.

"Then what?" I whispered softly. He stared straight ahead at something far away that only existed in his head now.

"I heard what they were thinking," he growled, his upper lip curling slightly back over

his teeth. "I saw your face in his mind." He said, looking at me. I knew, I'd seen it too. Suddenly he covered his eyes with his arm, startling Bella with the sudden movement.

"It was very… hard — you can't imagine how hard — for me to simply take you two away,

and leave them… alive." His voice was muffled by his arm. "if I'd let you with Jessica Angela and Lauren I would've gone looking for them.," he admitted in a whisper. It was silent for a while and I ate the rest of my food, even though I wasn't so hungry anymore. When Bella and I placed or forks back on the plates, Edward looked up again.

"Are you ready to go home?" he asked with a graveled voice. Bella nodded.

"Yeah…ready to go."

If I thought this was bad – the worst was yet to come.

As if called in, the waitress appeared at our side, pen in hands, ready to write.

"The check please" Edward said, his voice held an scary edge which made Amber shrank away from him, out of instinct.

"Off course, here you go." She stumbled as she handed him the black leather folder. I was already getting my wallet to pay for my food, when a strong, icy white hand grabbed my wrist. His touch made my body heat up, the blush crept in my cheeks as I wasn't able to hold back the gasp.

"But, I want to pay for my.." I was interrupted again.

"Nonsense. A real gentleman pays instead of the girl – girls in this case – he takes out." He said definitely. I sighed and stuck my wallet back into my pocket, as Edward paid for our food. Once done, Bella and Edward stood up without any problems while I almost fell from my chair. Bella laughed at me and Edward just shook his head, a smile playing along his lips.

I followed them both when we walked to the door. the real reason why I walked behind them, was because I was sneakily – my brother would snap my neck – checking out his bum. I just couldn't help myself when I sighed approvingly, just as he held open the door to let me pass by. I saw him looking at me weird before he let go of the door and followed me. I sensed his gaze while he was looking at me – the thrills and electric shivers coursed all over me. I swallowed.

I hurried to the back seat of the car – that way I didn't have to sit too close to him, even though I secretly wanted to. Bella sat in the front, which she didn't mind at all and Edward got in as well. Once I was buckled up, the engine was started and we had left the parking spot, Edward spoke significantly.

"It's your turn."


	35. Chapter Thirty-Four

We drove through the streets with a speed that made your hands claw frantically at the leather seats.

"Can I ask one last thing before I tell you? I need to be sure." Bella asked Edward softly. He sighed deeply, but nodded.

"One."

Bella took a deep breath – I knew what she wanted to ask and it wouldn't be a question he would answer all to enthusiastically. "You said you knew were going south. I was wondering how you knew that." Her tone was still soft and unsure. The atmosphere in the car tensed. Edward was silent possibly deliberating what to say or not.

"I thought we were going to place all the cards on the table." Bella grumbled impatiently. I saw Edward's lips twist via the rearview mirror. He almost smiled.

"Fine – I followed your scents." He said softly barely audible. Bella looked out of the window, composing herself. _'oh my god…it's really true…' _

She swallowed before asking further. All the while, I stayed silent in the backseat, following the conversation closely. "You still didn't answer my first question…you know the easiest one.." she moved on hesitantly.

He kept silent, a disapproving look in his face.

"How does it work? The mindreading thing? Can your family do that to? Why can't you hear us?" Bella rushed out. She was kind of freaking out, desperately wanting to know it – having it said.

"That's more than one question," he pointed out, "I'm the only one able to read minds. It 's like I'm constantly between an huge crowd of people talking. It's not something I can control. And I honestly don't know why I can't read your minds…it's a frustrating mystery to me." he frowned and looked at me through the mirror. I looked away.

"so, my mind doesn't work right? I'm a freak aren't I?" Bella felt hopeless. Edward chuckled.

"I just confessed I hear voices in my head and then you say you're the freak?" he rolled his eyes, whose were filled with glee. It was silent again.

"Holy shit! Slow down!" I suddenly yelled through the small space of the car. I winced at the volume. Edward gave me a wary look and Bella checked the speedometer as well.

"Oh my God! Are you crazy!" she yelled after me. Edward frowned. "what's wrong?" he exclaimed.

"Hell! Do you want your car to hug a fucking tree or something!?" I yelled back at him. with that he busted out laughing, squeezing his eyes and letting his head fall against the headrest of his seat. Still driving the car with hundred miles an hour.

"Watch the road!" Bella panicked, her voice tight. I was literally clawing at the seats right now. Edward laughing slowed down to giggling.

"Relax, we won't crash. Built-in radar remember? I never had an accident." He ensured us through a few more giggles. Then he looked into the mirror at me again.

"Do you have more of those comments, Swan?" he chuckled, his eyes shining with amusement. He seemed to have forgotten why we were here. I just looked at him angrily.

"Only if you slow down the car till eighty, Champ." I said, still mad. Bella huffed at him. he listened, luckily, but got the giggles again.

"Champ? So I have, like, won a price? Enlighten me please." He kept giggling. I'd never seen him so loose, so..himself. I smiled.

"Well, it's actually short for champignon." I said mockingly, trying to hide my smile. Bella couldn't however and started laughing with him.

"Why am I suddenly a champignon? Is that your theory?" they kept laughing and gasping. I decided to give it an extra mile.

"Oh yeah, Superhero Champignon! I think you forgot your cape though…" now it was my time to join them. The weight of the subject was shoved to the back of our minds.

After a few more minutes of laughing Edward's demeanor changed into seriousness again.

"What's your real theory?" he asked, his voice hoarse from the giggle fit we just had.

"I..we don't know where to start actually…"Bella answered, hesitant again.

"How about from the beginning? It can't be that bad." He tried to sound lightly, but I saw his hands taking the steering wheel into a vice grip.

"Well, it is. I think you're going to be angry at us." Bella replied. He didn't say something, Bella's cue to move on.

"We ran into an old family friend…Jacob Black." Edward looked confused, wondering how we could get a theory out of this. I jumped in.

"His dad is one the Quileute elders." I said carefully. He froze.

"We went for a walk…and he told us a story. A legend from their tribe." Bella told further. And paused afraid of his reaction.

"Go on." he urged. I held my breath.

"He told us about the Cold Ones, Vampires." She said barely audible. I closed my eyes.

"And you immediately thought about me? " his voice sounded calm, but I bet his eyes stood hard while his hands would still grip the steering wheel like some kind of lifeline.

"No, not really. But the story was about your family…so I got curious." Bella's voice was so thin. I started to feel sick for some reason.

"What did you do then?" Edward's voice had tensed and held a tired edge somehow. Bella hesitated before answering. "I searched around the internet for a while." She admitted.

"And that convinced you." He stated, still frozen. Bella started shaking her head no.

"No…it was…all of it was quite nonsense. And then I…" she stopped. I knew what she wanted to say and I was scared and angered me at the same time.

"Then what? What happened then?" still calm, still frozen but somehow greedy for the answer she wasn't giving him just yet.

"I decided it didn't matter to me. it doesn't." she whispered, looking straight forward. I felt dizzy. She just kind of confirmed she was in love with him. My breaths were hard and probably audible.

"It doesn't _matter_!?" his incredulous tone made me gasp. Finally we had – or Bella had – broken through his precious mask. It surprised me to only find a small hint of anger. he couldn't believe what he just heard.

"No, it doesn't matter to me what you are. You're Edward to me. Nothing else." _'and you're incredibly hot, but that's another story…' _

I fought the urge to roll my eyes at her thought. He really should be happy he wasn't able to read her mind.

"How is that possible!? You don't care I'm a damned _monster_!? That I'm not _human!_" Edward roared further. It was the first time I was actually scared off him.

"Can you please stop…?" I didn't know how, but in a way, I'd found my voice again. His eyes shot to mine via the mirror – they were shocked. Like he remembered I was sitting in this car too. Then he turned back to Bella, anger really coloring his tone now.

"Did she know beforehand!? Bella she didn't know! Can you even imagine how scared she must be right now! How can you be so damn – " he roared to Bella, but interrupted him, my voice stronger now.

"I knew. She told me. so don't scream at her. Especially because we can hear you perfectly without raising your fucked volume!" I started to get aggressive again, which I needed to stop. Bella couldn't find out what I was – I wouldn't risk it.

It was silent for another while. Edward seemed to think about what I said, he seemed to assimilate it, the fact that I also knew. I started to feel guilty. He must be feeling terrible right now.

"Does…does it matter to you? What I am? Does it?" he sounded like a torn angel, ripped apart, and even then, he was still beautiful.

I swallowed. "No. like Bella said – you're just Edward. Edward Cullen, my friend. We're friends." I think I was trying to convince myself more than Edward. We were friends. _Nothing_ more.

Edward sighed heavily.

"So…I'm right? You're a Vampire?" Bella suddenly asked, wanting it confirmed so there wouldn't be any misunderstandings.

"It didn't matter right?"

"Well, I am curious." She replied. Believe me or not, even though I used to live in a house with three vampires – I was curious too. I wanted to get to know him this way. How _he_ was, not his mask.

"What do you want to know?" he asked us both, looking at me through the mirror again. Bella thought about it for a minute.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen," he answered immediately.

"And,…how long? How long have you been seventeen?" I asked, feeling brave. His lips twitched as he stared at the road. "For a while now." he admitted at last. I smiled, so did Bella – happy that he didn't lie. As I heard Bella's thought for a next question, a giggle escaped me. luckily Bella just started talking.

"Right, don't laugh, but how can you come out during the daytime?" Edward laughed anyway "It's a myth."

"Get burned by the sun?" Bella went further.

"Another myth." He chuckled.

"Sleeping in coffins?" was her other stereotype vampire assumption.

"Myth…" He hesitated for a moment, and a strange tone entered his voice. "I actually can't

sleep. I'm not able to." He admitted softly.

Bella thought about that for a minute, '_no wonder that he got this shade under his eyes…hell, not having to sleep has its advantages…' _"Like, not at all?"

"No, never," he said, his voice nearly inaudible. He turned to look at the mirror, at me, with a wistful expression. His golden eyes held mine, my black ones, and I lost my mind at the intenseness of his gaze. I stared at him until he looked away.

"You haven't asked me the most important question yet." His voice was hard now, and

when he looked at me again his eyes were cold. I shivered. He was talking about the blood.

Bella blinked, dazed. "Which one?"

"Shouldn't you be concerned about my diet?" he asked sarcastically.

"Oh" Bella murmured, "that." _'Shit...is he getting mad now?'_

"Yes, that." His voice was bleak. "Don't you want to know if I drink blood?"

I flinched at his tone. I didn't like where this conversation was heading. Terrifyingly, it made me thirsty.

"Well, Jacob said something about that." Bella said hesitating.

"What did he say?" Edward asked flatly, eyes focused on the road.

"He said you didn't… hunt people. He said your family wasn't supposed to be

dangerous because you only hunted animals."

"He said we weren't dangerous?" His voice was deeply skeptical, a dark laugh covering his sentence. Talk about dangerous.

"Not exactly. He said you weren't _supposed _to be dangerous. But the Quileutes still

didn't want you on their land, just in case." Bella quickly finished. Edward didn't reply at it.

"So was he right? About not hunting people?" Bella started to get impatient, desperate almost.

"The Quileutes have a good memory," he whispered. I took it as a confirmation.

"Don't let that make you imprudent, though," he warned us. "They're right to keep

their distance from us. We are still way too dangerous." He ended.

"We're usually very good at what we do. We try. But, sometimes we make mistakes. Me, for example, allowing myself to be alone with you two."

"That's a mistake?" I heard the sadness in Bella's voice, and I felt my heart clench.

"A very dangerous one," Edward murmured.

It was silent for a while. For a long while. As I looked outside, through the window, barely seeing what flew by, the tiredness and exertion from this night, started to get a hold of me. I didn't want to, I struggled against it, but I fell away. Lost in a world of unconsciousness.

"Melody? Are you okay?" I snapped out of my mind. Edward concerned voice shook me awake and blinked, seeing and feeling that the car had stopped. We were probably at our house now. I turned my head away from the window and looked into the mirror. His eyes were trained on me, searching for something, or just wanting to read my mind so bad.

"Oh sorry, I think I dazed off. I'm pretty tired." I said when I'd found my voice again. I noticed Bella had already left the car. Not even a second later, I heard the trunk open behind me.

"I can imagine you are." Edward said. He'd turned around to face me now. My cheeks heated up, just like they always did – especially with him around. I smiled a half-smile and moved to leave the car when his icy hand gently grabbed my wrist.

"I'm sorry." Was the only thing he said. I didn't really got what he meant. I looked him in the eye for a minute before getting out and he got out as well – always a gentleman.

I walked up to Bella who was gathering her bags from the trunk of the Volvo. I quickly did the same and closed the trunk when I'd retrieved all my shopping bags.

Edward stood leaning against the car door, casually.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He said, waved and got in the driver's seat.

"Bye.." I said softly before turning around and following Bella inside. As we entered our house, I heard the soft purr of the engine when he drove away.

"Bella? Melody? Is that you?" Charlie clearly was clearly always expecting someone to break in his house. I could imagine he held his baseball bat close, ready to attack.

"Yes, dad. We're home!" Bella exclaimed as I was kicking out my shoes – our jackets were still in Jessica's car.

"Bells! Get your bags upstairs before he's going to talk to us!" I whisper-yelled at her. Her eyes went wide, shot to the shopping bags from Victoria's Secret and then she ran up the stairs. I quickly followed after her, half tripping on the stairs. I dumped the bags on my bed and went back downstairs looking like the picture of innocence.

"Did you girls have a nice time with your friends?" Charlie asked as I scanned his mind. I didn't want him to get suspicious of anything.

"Yeah, we have. They all got a dress and we found something too." Bella tried to outrun the question about what we bought. If he knew that, we wouldn't live it down.

"So you actually had fun together. Without fighting?" his incredulous tone made my eyes go for a roll. We both nodded, knowing it was true.

"I'm glad to hear that ladies. Come here and give the old man a hug." he said, spreading his arms. Bella and I both giggled and walked up to him, holding him for dear life. We both knew we had started a new path – a dangerous, mysterious but above all adventurous path. But it's what I wanted and then the danger and sacrifices ought to count for something.

The tiredness was really getting to me so I told Charlie I was heading to bed. Bella was phoning with Jessica about how her 'date' went. Not what you call romantic.

Tiredly, I undressed myself, happy to lose the heavy material of my jeans and thick clothes. I took of my plain white bra and searched through the pink bag, only wearing my blue polka dot panties – I was alone in my bedroom after all.

I took out the three sets and folded them neatly before placing them in the right drawer. the gowns I bought following. Then I opened the 'presents' I got with it. in the first present package was a two-set - one was white cotton with pink stars on it and the other grey with black bows. It was cute. The next package held a red one – I knew it would fit perfectly with the blush that covered my cheeks at that precise moment. It was sexy. The last package made me gasp a throw it off of the bed.

"Oh my…" I whispered, amazed somehow. It was from black lace and completely see-through. With it were a garter and stockings that completed it. this was just outright kinky. I couldn't believe I actually thought that word but it was undeniable. I placed this set back in its box and hid it far in the back of my closet. Apart from the grey one, I folded the rest and placed them with my pajamas. I shuffled myself into my new jammie and checked the bags.

"Wait a minute…" where was my pink 'bite-me' thong? Did I lost it? I probably did when we ran from those creepers. I shuddered when I thought about them. I shook it off – I could always buy another one someday.

After having hung up the dresses at a hanger, I pushed the duvet aside and climbed in. as I lay there, my mind spinning with images, emotions and fantasies, I was sure about a few things.

First – Edward admitted he was a vampire.

Second – He was hopelessly in love with Bella

And third – I had fallen for him. I was totally, unconditionally and unbelievably madly in love with him. In love with my friend, who was in love with my sister.

A lonely, single tear flowed down my cheek as I fell asleep.


	36. Chapter Thirty-Five

Slowly, I opened my sore eyes, squeezing them close again. My sight was blurred and my nose was pressured and my head hurt. That could only mean one thing.

I vaguely remembered why the tears were streaming down my cold cheeks – flashes of images I didn't want to see again. It was strange to wake up like this – I felt like I had been crying through my sleep all night.

I opened my eyes again, blinking the uncontrollable tears away and letting out an heavy sigh. I didn't want to leave my warm and safe bed. I felt like a wreck, broken. I sighed again and eventually managed to get upright. When I untangled my leg from the thick sheets to free it, It kept sticking between the material and I tumbled over – face down on the floor. I gathered myself up and saw a small droplet of blood on the flooring. With my index-finger, I lightly touched my under lip. I'd found the source of the droplet.

So it was going to be _such_ a day.

Once I got in the shower, I tried to relax and let myself envelop in the feeling of the warm water streaming down my body. My shoulders were tense, so I massaged the knots in the muscles away, feeling the ache fading within seconds.

After rinsing off all the shampoo and soap, having dried off and shuffling myself into underwear, I looked into the mirror to check my lip. It looked like someone had punched me in the face.

There were huge shades beneath my eyes, my skin almost seemed hoar and the small wound on my lip made the picture complete. I wasn't in the mood for much makeup, so I stayed with eyeliner and mascara. Then I made my way to back to my room searching for something comfortable to wear today. As I rummaged through my closet, I heard Bella shuffling through the bathroom.

I dressed myself into the pink-dotted black, long-sleeved cotton dress, I'd bought the night before. Beneath it I put dark blue jeggings and black, ankle-high sneaker-like booties.

During packing my bag, I waited for Bella to finish her shower – I could easily hear when the water would be shut off. When I heard that sound, and was sure Bella wasn't butt-naked anymore, I could use the bathroom for my hair.

"Morning Mells. How..did you sleep?" Bella asked as she was applying her makeup. I took the space next to her, having great view into the mirror and started brushing my hair while I answered.

"Morning, Bells. I didn't, not really…you?" I questioned. I busy making sure my hair would be tied in a perfect ballerina bun.

"No, I didn't sleep really well, either. But that wasn't really unexpected, right?" she replied as she started doing her hair as well.

"Yeah. You're right. It..it's still strange to really know. Do you know what I mean?" I asked hesitatingly while I draped a little bow around the bun on my head. Once done I leaned against the door, waiting for Bella's response.

"Yes, it is. But I don't think it's a bad thing. Do you?" she asked as she finished her hair as well, having just hung it into a pony-tail. She looked me in the eye. I thought about that for a minute. Was it good that I knew? Wouldn't it have been easier to forget him if I hadn't known?

"No. now we know how to treat them. Kind off." I said. Bella nodded. I pushed myself away from the door post and started walking downstairs.

I quickly made myself breakfast and also poured a glass of milk. Bella was still busy dressing herself upstairs. When I'd washed the dishes I'd used, I saw a note sticking on a cabinet.

'Can you please get the mail form the mailbox? Love, Dad.'

I dried off my hands, threw the, now prop formed, note into the trashcan and headed outside. I gasped when I saw it. or better said, saw him.

When he noticed me, his lips magically turned into his crooked smile. Just the one that made my face _and other parts_ heat up slightly. He stood next to our mailbox, which was my destination.

"Hey," he said as I neared him. I smiled shyly, feeling the blood creep into my cheeks. An uncomfortable look appeared on his face, he almost looked…shy.

"Hi." I said breathlessly, praying he wouldn't notice. He started rubbing the back of his neck – it reminded me of the nervous habit of Nathan. What was going on?

"I..uh...", he stammered. I frowned. Why in the whole world, would Edward Cullen stammer over? What was he doing here anyway? Not that I minded.

"Edward, what's wrong?" I asked when he clearly wasn't able to form the right words. He swallowed and averted his eyes from mine.

"Well,…I found something last night when I got home…and uh.." he stammered again. I started to have a feeling this wasn't going to be nice. "And?" I encouraged him.

"I was wondering if you..or Bella…did you..lost something?" he stumbled, looking me straight in the eye now. I frowned. What could I have lost? I look back at him, in his eyes whose were fast changing into black holes. Oh…My…no….

"Oh no,…" I squeaked, feeling so utterly embarrassed.

"So…uh..it's yours?" he said again, his voice rough and hoarse this time. I nodded weakly, knowing exactly where he was talking about. I saw his hand sliding into his leather jacket, retrieving were I'd been looking for last night.

There it was – my bright pink 'bite-me' thong, dangling proudly on his index-finger.

"Well, then I believe this is yours."

With wide eyes, a scarlet red face and conflicted feelings, I slowly reached out my hand, to grab the pink scrap of cotton from his finger. Once I'd gotten a hold of it, I quickly stuffed it in my pocket. Thank god those jeggings even had pockets. I didn't dare to look him in the eye – my hormonal balance would let my body do things my mind wouldn't want to.

"So…eh… now that is taken care of," Edward spoke softly again. I still adverted my eyes from him, having crouched my arms against my chest. "I was actually here to ask if you two wanted a lift to school? You don't have to. You won't hurt my feelings by saying no, so don't feel obligated now I've asked." he ranted. I could barely make out what he said.

"Oh! Ehm…sure, I mean, if that's what you want to…." I said, being sure Bella already would've jumped his car. "I', sorry by the way. It was so stupid to – " before I could say my whole apologize about losing my thong, he interrupted me.

"No, don't apologize, Mells. It could've happened to anyone." He said, smiling reassuringly. I looked at him skeptically, arching one eyebrow. When he realized why I looked like that he let out a snicker. "all right – things like this only happen to you. Happy now, miss?" he said, his eyes holding a wicked gleam. It felt so natural, talking to him like this – so carefree, like there was nothing mythical and mysterious about us. I felt a sudden warmth spread through my chest, right at the place where my fast beating heart lay. "Yeah, I am. It's the truth!" I said giggling lightly, letting him know I wasn't sad about the fact I was too clumsy for words. His delighted smile made my eyes flutter. What he could do to me, just by smiling…

"Should I get Bella? We don't want to be late, do we?" I said, feeling brave out of nowhere. Edward nodded, "I'll wait here." He handed me our mail he, clearly without me noticing, had gotten out of the mailbox. I rolled my eyes and added a 'thanks', before walking up to the house.

I opened the door, stealing one look from over my shoulder, seeing Edward still leaning against his Volvo, very lost in his thoughts. I was starting to understand his constant frustration to not being able to hear what we thought. I wanted to know so badly what was happening in his head.

"What took you so long? Did you trip over the mailbox?" Bella chuckled. I walked up to her.

" Get your stuff; our taxi is waiting." I said giggling at seeing Bella's confused look.

"Taxi?" she questioned, brow furrowed. I grabbed my bag from the kitchen floor before walking to the door again to get my jacket.

"Yeah, Edward. He suggested we could have a lift." I said before heading outside again, Bella quick on my heels. _'Oh my god…he's so handsome…' _she thought lustfully. The smile plastered on Edward's face when he saw us was incredible. Just as we both descended the porch steps, I remembered something.

"Oh, uh, Bells, I have to…get something from my room. I'll be back in a minute." I said before hurrying back inside, for the stairs. I swear I saw Edward laughing, knowing exactly what I needed to do.

Not a minute later, after dropping my thong in my underwear drawer, I was back outside again, looking all kinds of flustered from running. Bella and Edward had already occupied the front seats, so I took the backseat again. When I was seated, Edward drove to school.

It was awkwardly quiet during the ride. At some point, Edward had enough of it.

"What? no question games today?" he asked, smiling crookedly.

"Do our questions bother you?" Bella replied.

"No, not really. It's just your reactions. You're both so..relaxed about all of this. I'm still waiting for you two to run." He answered incredulously.

"We're not that fragile you know." I said, shrugging. It was true..almost. we drove further without words. When we rode upon the parking lot, Bella suddenly asked where his family was – they always drove along with him. Just as he parked next to a red convertible, the answer wouldn't be hard to guess.

"They took Rosalie's car. Ostentatious, isn't it?" Edward said as me and my sister stared at the shiny red car.

"I take it, Rosalie has a thing for cars?" I asked smiling. I certainly didn't expect this from the stunning blonde vampire.

"I don't know if you two noticed, but I'm breaking all the rules now." he said as he exited the car. I immediately felt guilty – it was basically our fault his family rebelled against him. Off course they knew, we knew; lying wasn't possible when you had Alice, Edward and Jasper in your household. I wondered if Alice was mad at me. I truly hoped she wasn't – she was my best friend. Bella and I got out of the silver Volvo too – she stepped, I stumbled. The usual.

Bella thanked Edward and ran off to Jessica without waiting for response. Off course they started gossiping and talking about how a 'superduper hottie' Edward was. Their words, not mine. I walked up to the Cullens, where Edward had rejoined. His siblings al looked pretty irritated, attacking him with their thoughts. I felt really bad for him. Slowly, I went in their direction and saw Alice smiling at me, before pushing her brother out of the way and running up to me – at a human pace off course.

"Baby Swan!" she squealed as she developed me in an ice cold hug. I gasped in shock. But not from the fact that she was cold and hugging me.

"How in heel do you know about that name!?" I exclaimed exaggerated. Alice laughed, "Charlie calls you that and I heard when I drove by last night." She explained to me.

"Wow. You've got a good hearing range." I said awkwardly, not really knowing what to say. Then, Bella joined us after having given all the 'human' details of last night. I read from Jessica's mind she wanted to know more.

"Edward? Can you help me? Jess wants to know..I don't know…things. What does she want to know?" she asked, trying to sound seductive. Edward walked toward the building, all to willingly explaining what Jessica wanted to know.

"She wants to know if we're secretly dating. And she wants to know how you feel about me." he said in a low, lovely voice. My attention was full on what was being said.

"What should I say?" Bella tried to make him ask her to be her boyfriend. "Hmmm.." he mused, while placing a strand of hair that had fallen from her tail behind her ear. I felt my heart clench tightly. "I think you should say yes to the first – to avoid other difficult explanation. If you don't mind."

That was it. He just declared his love for her, and she caught it. I felt tears prickling in my eyes.

"Ali, I-I…I need to use the bathroom. I'll see you at lunch." And with that, I ran off, letting the tears droop over, hoping no one would notice my heart was in thousand pieces – it would take forever to pull them back together.

When the coast was clear and nobody, apart from me, was in the bathroom, I opened the door from the loft where I'd locked myself up. there were lots of thoughts flying and spiraling through my head, but there was one that kept floating above all.

Edward was in love with Bella.

And the worst thing was, that I couldn't do anything about it – only accepting it. during my crying session from no five minutes earlier, why I missed my first class, I decided that when Edward was happy, I'd be too. I'd take everything he'd give m, even if that meant we'd stay 'just friends' for eternity. I sighed as I looked into the mirror. A few strings had fallen from my twist, hanging along my face. The bruise on my lip from that morning was getting more noticeable. I made sure every mascara line was washed away but reassuring that no one would see I'd cried was no start on. my eyes were red and blotchy and my nose and cheeks happily joined the group. I was a mess, that was for sure. After another deep sigh, a few good breaths and one last look into the mirror, I left the bathroom.

I went for my locker to change my books and leave my jacket, which I was still wearing, on its hook in the small cabinet. When I wanted to close the locker door, something fell upon my head.

"Ow! Damn-it!" I whisper-yelled through the empty aisles. the spot on the back of my head stung irritatingly, so I caressed it, searching for any caused damage that could provoke blood. Thankfully, there was only a bump to find. I bowed down, wanting to grab my Spanish folder from the ground, when an icy-white hand already got it for me. I could read his mind. I stood straight again without any balance problems and came to stand face to face with Emmett. His slight grin told me he'd probably seen what happened.

"How's is your head?" he asked sincerely, his honest golden eyes shining. A shy smile curved my lips.

"There's only a bump on there, so, nothing major." I answered shrugging. I'd never talked to Emmett before so it surprised me he started to talk to me so all of the sudden.

_'She's really nice, just as Ali, Jazz and Rosie said…I think I can trust her. She won't tell our secret, but just to be sure..'_ "Right, little lady, this is probably very sudden but; you don't seem like the kind that gossips about the vamp-family in town, do you?" he asked, putting my folder back in my locker, safely and secured.

"You're right. I'd never, ever bare your existence. I'm a very closed person, so no gossip for me." I said, sniffing away the last bit of my crying time. Emmett noticed.

_'Did she cry? Where would she cry about? Aw man! Why do I want to hug this little girl and give her the most fluffy teddy bear existing?' _his face stood sad, frowning. I felt a rush of safety course through my body. No matter how tough Emmett looked from the outside – he was just a hugger.

"Are you sure you're all right? Do you want me to walk you to your next class? I don't have anything better to do and walking around on your own is boring." He babbled, a toothpaste smile plastered on his face. I smiled back.

"I think if I'd say I was fine you wouldn't believe me so; no not really…but it's just..girl stuff?" I added the question mark not knowing what I meant myself. "but, sure. I think that'd be nice. " I ended, closing my locker. The bright smile I was met with, cheered me up. this way, at least someone would be happy.

"Awesome! Where to go Captain Clumsy?" he asked, chuckling, while I started walking in the direction for my History class.

"Seriously? Did Alice told you that? How many horrifying nicknames do you all already know?" I asked giggling. Emmett was a joker – it made me miss my brother even more.

He chuckled along with me, "Yep, Alice's fault. You should totally kick her in the ass!" he exclaimed gleefully, "Right, the ones I know are Captain clumsy, Chucks, Mells, Ody, Pigmy and Baby Swan." He stated proudly. We exited the main building on our way to the science classrooms. I shivered from the cold.

"Wow! You're right. They're all quite embarrassing, though." I admitted.

"Where does Baby Swan come from? I mean, is there a reason why they call you that?" Emmett asked, hesitating – he thought he might touch a raw nerve.

"Well," I debated whether to tell him about my siblings or not."I'm the youngest of five and I'm very little. And I'm not even counting my siblings-in-law with it. I'm also still daddy's little girl," I added mockingly, but in a joking way. Emmett seemed surprised - nothing strange when nobody knew I had more siblings than just Bella.

"Wow, Bella never mentioned that, or well Edward didn't. I've never really spoken to your sister." we stood in front of my classroom now, the bell could ring any minute.

"Explain me one thing though, Why would you and Bella leave a whole bunch of siblings behind? I don't really get that…Okay, you do have Bella as one sister – " before he could finish I interrupted him, making one thing clear; I didn't want to be the fifth wheel because I was Bella's 'baby sister'.

"Bella's my half-sister. We've never lived together until now. and my real siblings are all married and have kids. I was a loner there."I choked, unable to hide the sorrow and pain from my voice and facial expression. _'Where she must go through right now…no wonder she has cried,..'_

"I'm sorry to hear that." He mused, and then added, "If something's bothering you, you can talk to me – like a brother, you know?" he suggested, laying his huge, cold hand on my tiny, slightly warmer shoulder in a brotherly gesture. I looked him right in the eye as I answered before turning around and heading into the classroom.

"Thanks Em, I will."


	37. Chapter Thirty-Six

After three hours of trying to keep myself together and stopping myself from reading Bella's mind, so I could see what she and Edward were doing, it was finally time for lunch. I wasn't sure if I should be so happy with that – I was accepting the fact they would be couple any time soon, didn't mean I wanted to watch. I was debating if I should sit with the Cullens or not. I'm sure Alice wouldn't mind and since this morning Emmett wouldn't either. Maybe sitting outside would be nice…better if not – I would only start thinking again. I would just enter the cafeteria, get my lunch and see what would happen.

With my head up, I entered the crowded space where the humans were eating, thinking, gossiping and all the things that belonged to an high school student. I already saw Ali, Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper sitting at their usual table. Upon my entering their heads shot into my direction, their faces holding all an inviting expression. I searched further for the bronze head. He was sitting at the other side of the cafeteria – with Bella at his side, off course. I ignored the sting that zinged through my chest and grabbed an ice-coffee and a cheese sandwich. Just when I was paying for my food, the vampire with black spiky hair, a.k.a. my best friend, appeared at my side. I picked up my red lunch tray and looked up at her. Her face seemed a bit troubled for some reason – a reason she blocked from me. I sighed, looking at her frustratingly. She smiled slyly, knowing exactly what my problem was at that moment. For my own benefit, she nor I spoke about it – I didn't want the others to know about my mind-reading ability.

"Come on, let's have lunch. Em spared a seat for you since our brother seems to think he isn't part of our family anymore." her voice held a snarling edge, which surprised me. I'd thought Alice was the one whom supported Edward in his love for Bella. Together we crossed the cafeteria until we reached the table in the corner. Emmett's beaming smile made mine widen.

"Seriously Em, you look at her like she the cutest teddy bear existing!" Jasper exclaimed, chuckling while saying it. Rosalie chuckled along. Emmett padded the seat between him and Alice and I sat down.

"Well, I actually adopted her as my brand new baby sister since Neddieboy is clearly too busy with following his _lower_ head." He stated. I tried to not dwell too much about his last remark. I started taking a small bite from my sandwich, catching a glimpse from what happened on the other side of the room. Edward was looking at Emmett with a dark expression – an expression that made my face heat up. Hell! I was starting to think I needed to get off once.

When I looked back at what happened surrounding the table where I sat, I saw Jasper looking at me sharply. I knew why – he'd probably sensed my lustful emotion for a second before I automatically shielded it. I averted my eyes and started eating again.

"So, eh, did you guys have a nice weekend?" I felt so stupid when I asked it. it sounded better in my head. Even though I might've been a weird question to ask vampires, I was met with four warm smiles.

"I did! I've been searching the internet for the last fashion trends and colors for this season. And Jazz and I have been hunting." Alice said stated, her voice unsure at the end. I arched an eyebrow.

"Have you been busy with fashion trends, like, all weekend?" I asked incredulously, ignoring her hunting comment. Alice smirked, "Yeah! Do you know how many research that is? And well, hunting took a whole day too, so…" she said. I had a feeling they were testing me – how I would take it.

"Okay, strange question maybe, but; what is your favorite…should I say drink? Or..which animal?" I asked, giggling nervously. Emmett's face lit up.

"Grizzly bears. Definitely grizzly. Their feisty! I like that shit!" he told enthusiastically. I laughed at his reaction.

"Yours?" I asked Alice, "deer," she replied. I found out Jasper and Rosalie both preferred grizzly as well.

"Well? What your favorite?" Rosalie asked genuinely. My eyebrows creased.

"Do you mean drink..or food?" I asked in return. She giggled.

"Both?" she questioned. I started to like Rosalie. I thought about her question for a minute.

"hmmm…" I mused, "my favorite drink is hot chocolate and my favorite food is probably lasagna." I said.

"See? I told you she was Italian! We have a brotherhood, Mells!" Emmett smirked widely and the others laughed.

"Wait, so you're are Italian?" I asked Emmett. He nodded, "Only partly – my dad was. My mom was American." He explained, I nodded. "I'm only part Italian too – but in my case my Dad is American and my…well, you get it." I finished. I couldn't get the word out. She wasn't my mother. Not anymore. She was a sadistic monster but I couldn't say that to my new friends, even though they were vampires as well.

They'd all caught the pause but didn't ask, only questioned in their heads.

Then I heard Rose make a gagging sound, "He's lost his mind didn't he? I can't believe why in the world he would fall for _her_ for crying out loud!" she spit. Well this was the less friendly side of Rosalie Hale.

"He's taking her out on Saturday, hoping he won't kill her and then he's going to take her to the dance _too_!?" she raged further. _Ignore the sting, ignore the sting _was the mantra in my head.

Suddenly Alice's mind was full with an idea I didn't want to be a part off. dreadfully, her vision already told me I would be.

"Guys! We can go too?"she suggested, glancing sideways at me with a sly, sneaky smile.

"Really? I'd like that then I can wear my new red dress! Em, you sure want to be my date right?" Rosalie had calmed down a little after her outburst about my sister and Edward. Emmett chuckled and nodded greedily. Jasper agreed to go with alice.

"And you? Are you going with us? It would be unfair if you sat at home, alone." Jasper asked me, a wave of serenity washing over me. before I could say no, Alice talked before me

"Yes, she is. I've seen it! How about you come over Saturday afternoon, then Rose and I can do your hair and makeup!" she ranted, enthusiasm sparkling off her tone.

I had one weapon left, "But I don't – " I started, being interrupted by the evil elf again.

"and don't you dare to claim you don't have a dress! You've bought one yesterday!" she said smugly. I sighed, "I guess you'll abduct me if I don't agree, right?" I stated. Alice nodded having a dark look on her face. I nodded, "fine, I'll go with you but on one condition," I said, lifting my finger in front of her.

"No! please! Don't do that to me!" Alice whimpered. I smirked, knowing I had her in my might.

"I'm not wearing any, in my case literally, killer heels."

My next hour after lunch was biology. My whole being was tensed and torn from that fact – luckily I didn't sit next to him, it would only worsen my hurt feelings.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked me, while we took the walk to the science buildings together. That everyone was asking me if I was alright, was a sign that I needed to pull on a better mask – especially with Jasper and Alice around me.

"Oh, I'm just…you know..I don't feel really well." I said, not lying – only hiding the whole truth. Nobody could know that I was in love with Edward. Alice her eyes squeezed together suspiciously. Off course she knew there was something I wasn't telling her.

"Emmett told me you've been crying. And you ran away this morning so all of the sudden. That not because you just don't feel really well." She mocked.

"Fine! What you want! Inhuman stuff alright? That's what's bothering me. Are you happy no?" I whisper-yelled at her – at this pitch no one else would hear it. Alice gasped at my answer – sure we knew from each other we weren't human and her secret was out in the open now, but I'd never actually admitted I wasn't completely human.

_'Right, right, sorry. I didn't mean to be so bitchy, but…can you tell me what you are? It would make things so much easier.'_ Her perfectly shaped brows were furrowed in confusion and probably frustration. But I couldn't tell her even though she was my best friend. It wouldn't get easier – only worse. I sighed.

"I'm sorry, Ali, but I can't, I mean – not yet. it's not the right time. And it's…complicated. Really complicated." I explained her miserably. Alice nodded sadly, but from her mind I read she understood, _'Don't apologize – my family copes with the same thing. The fact is that you and Bella guessed it. I can't guess with you.' _She smiled apologetically, yet reassuringly.

"Our secret?" I asked at a soft tone. She nodded, _'Our secret,'_

When Alice and I sat down for class, I saw Edward and Bella enter together – everyone, including me, was staring at the two of them. They sat down and starting talking about upcoming Saturday – he indeed had asked her for the spring dance. I started to feel sick in my stomach again just by thinking about them slow dancing, kissing and telling each other I love you's – which only would be true from one of them. I scanned Mr. Banner's mind for what was up for class today. A movie about the propagation of the human. In easier terms – sex. Thé talk I'd tried to flee for, for 154 times and then my siblings lost counting. They'd lost counting last year. My head started spinning while sweat broke out on my head.

"Melody? What's wrong?" Alice asked, alarmed. It was true, so true. I'd always been too stubborn to believe in all this mating and soulmate stuff. They had been right – I was physically getting sick of not being able to be near my mate. And we hadn't even, and never would have, proceeded the 'mating-process'. I swallowed and stuck my hand in the air, not answering Alice's question just yet.

"Yes, Miss Swan? Is there a problem?" Mr. Banner came walking up to me, his face carrying a look of worry upon seeing my, obviously, ashen pale face.

"I feel really awful, sir. Can I please, please go home?" I pleaded, trying to not notice that everyone, including _him_, watching me. Mr. Banner nodded.

"Should I call your father so he can pick you up?" he asked again. I nodded and he took off to get the phone and fulfill his teacher-duty. Alice's icy hand started rubbing my shoulder in a friendly way. _'You'll be fine Melody. Whatever it is you're suffering from, it will be alright.'_ She thought to me. I desperately wanted to believe her, but I couldn't. I was too late.

Ten minutes later, I was seated in the passenger seat of my dad's cruiser. My eyes were red and swollen from crying and I couldn't hold back the tears this time either. Charlie let me cry but after a while he'd had enough.

"Melody, darling, can you tell me what's wrong? Then I can try to help you." He asked miserably. I knew he hated seeing me like this – he'd seen me like this enough over the past year.

"Dad…it's just…" I stumbled, trying to find the right way to at least tell him something, "I think it has to do with all this…changing stuff? I'd always thought that only my body would become stronger and immortal, but everything is changing! Every single thing!" at the end my voice was raised, followed by another sob and a round of tears. Charlie didn't say anything for a while, even though his mind was spinning with something to help me, something he could cheer me up with. It was difficult for him – having four hybrid children to raise. He'd never known any details about the process and changes we went through – my sadistic mother had never told him anything he 'didn't need to know'.

"I feel sorry that I can't help you enough with that. Your moth – I mean..you know who I mean, had almost endured the whole change when we met. The thing is – whatever happens, Melody, nothing happens without a reason. Theirs is a reason why you're going through this right now. There is a reason why you started to change _now_. And if you want to, I can ask Adam for a bit information so I can help you the best I can." He finished. He felt hopeless for not being able to help us getting though all this – he could only watch and let it happen.

"I understand dad. Maybe you can…I bought a book yesterday. It's called Mythical Humans. It's about my kind and everything that belongs to it. Maybe you can, you know, read that? Then you'll understand more of us." I said, the last tears of another crying jag streaming down. Charlie nodded a small smile covering his lips, curving his mustache upward. it was a funny sight to see.

"Now tell me, are you really sick or is this just because you were stressed out. Not that I mind this, sweetheart but I just want to know." He asked as we turned into the driveway.

"Well, I do feel sick…it's both actually. I just need a break." I explained as we got out of the car. Charlie walked me to the front door and I took off my jacket and shoes. He was already busy laying a blanket and pillows on the couch. Then he went to the kitchen to make me some hot chocolate. That always made me feel better when I was younger. I'd gotten upstairs to dress into grey sweatpants and an old forest green shirt. Upon entering my room, I saw the book lying on my desk. I would give Charlie the book, but now wasn't the right time. Maybe he could read it later tonight.

When I got downstairs, the steaming mug of chocolate already stood on the side table next to the couch. Charlie gave me a hug and tucked me in on the couch. I felt like a seven year old girl all over again.

"I'm going back to work again. if there's something wrong or anything else you should call all right? " he said sternly, knowing me too well. I nodded seriously and he left again.

While I was warmly settled beneath the thick blanket, I watched TV for a while. There was some kind of drama movie on; exactly what I needed. The only thing that missed was a bucket of Ben&Jerry's® and a huge spoon.

When the movie was starting get boring, I put the TV on stand-by.

"Great. what to do now?" I mused to myself. Then an idea struck me – maybe Charlie couldn't read it, but I most definitely could. I got up from the couch and went upstairs to grab the black book from my desk. Once down, I settled back on the cushions of the couch and opened it. At first, I was met with the index. I followed the words with my finger as I read.

_"Prologue_

_1. Newly born_

_2. Feeding habits and lifestyle_

_3. Childhood_

_4. Body_

_5. Changes_

_6. Causes_

_7. Legends_

_8. Abilities_

_9. After change_

_10. Facts and fables "_

I started with the prologue which was written in an old, gracious handwriting.

_'Dear Hybrid,_

_You're a mystery, an enigma. Human but not whole. Often titled as soulless monster. Often titled as incredibly beautiful mutant. Exists between humans and myths and close to a vampire. You have enemies – natural and human beings that pester you during puberty. _

_You live a double life in the first phase – weak and a danger for yourself. But, dear Hybrid, you'll be stronger someday. _

_ Let Fate guide thou.'_

The text made me afraid of it, but intrigued by it as well. I wondered whom had written this. Were there really more of my kind?

I quickly turned the page and started searching for the second chapter – I didn't feel the need to read the first one. It didn't seem important to me. the chapter was also enormous thick – I didn't have the patience to read about something I didn't need to know.

As I read into the chapter about feeding and lifestyle, I could recall a lot of things. But there were new things as well. After my change, for example, I would be able to feed myself in two ways – human food and blood. Another interesting thing, was that a Hybrid related to a vampire, could affect the natural diet of the vampire. After a while, the vampire would be able to live and feed like a Hybrid. Adam, Chris and Layla had been through that.

There was something else that sparked my interest. During the longtime change during puberty, a hybrid would start to lose sleeping hours – in general it would only sleep three to four hours a night. Maybe this was something that would happen soon.

After having read the whole chapter, I felt satisfied. This book was like some kind of instruction for me. I didn't want to read further yet – this was already a lot to take in. I placed the book under the couch, grabbed my IPhone and dialed the familiar number.

"Hello, this is Nathan Swan speaking." I heard from the other side of the line.

"Hi! This is your sister speaking." I replied, grinning.

"Pigmy! How have you been lately?" Nathan asked, enthusiasm coloring his tone. I giggled at the nickname. Pigmy wasn't very far from the truth.

"I'm sitting home actually. I don't feel so well at the moment." I told him honestly, even though he didn't need to know what was the real reason behind that. He made and 'aaaw' sound.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but hey! I can cheer you up, can't I?" I could imagine the smirk that covered his face at the exact time. I chuckled again

"Yeah, well that's why I kind off called. I haven't spoken to you in a while." I admitted, twirling my hair with my fingers.

"No you didn't. What a shame! You couldn't even leave your..biology shit book and have some talk with your one and only favorite brother could you?" his voice was so dramatic and I swear I heard a fake sob. I started laughing

"Nope. Sorry, dude, but I was too busy with studying." I replied in an fake arrogant tone. It was always funny to talk with Nathan like this.

"Ha! I knew it! you were too busy studying the basics of sex!' he yelled, laughing during the words. I blushed scarlet and quickly replied.

"WHAT!? Oh my God! DUDE! Do you know how fucking good that stuff feels?" I yelled back at him. Suddenly, it was deadly silent and I tried to contain my laughter.

"You did WHAT!?" he screamed so hard I needed to distance the speaker from my ears. Before I could say it was a joke, he began rattling like a drowning man.

"Melody! Holy fuck! You…you!"

" Nate – "

"You fucking fucked a fucking DUDE! What shit is that! Your fifteen for fucks sake!"

"Nathan.. – "

"I'm going to damn kill the bastard! I'll rip his d – "

"NATHAN DRAMAQUEEN SWAN!" I screamed through the phone, silencing him and talking further before he had a chance to go roaring again.

"I'm only joking! Do you seriously think I jump some random guy and sex him in the dressing rooms at the gym?" I confessed, talking at a normal pitch again.

"Will you please, never, ever, ever, say something like that to me again, like, never?" he growled. I chuckled. "You started it yourself bro." I said. He huffed and I could almost see his eyes rolling.

"Anyway – still clumsy as ever?" he chuckled, the snarky comment obvious in his voice. I rolled my eyes. "Do you even have to ask?" I replied. Nathan always thought it was funny when I would fall or slide or almost accidently kill someone. He even made a video once of me tripping, falling and doing all kinds of clumsy things with the most annoying song beneath it.

"hmm. I'd rather not. Btu seriously, you're going to be the clumsiest vampire ever!" he busted out laughing again, probably imagining me with red eyes, falling from a tree or something in that effect.

"Nate, vampires aren't clumsy." I stated smugly. I'd thought he would know since he already was a fully grown hybrid.

"That's the point, sister." he remarked, laughing once again. Why did I call him again? he only seemed to annoy me. But yeah…he always did, actually.

"Hey, pigmy, I need to go – got to pick up Faith from school. I'll talk to you soon alright?" my brother said. It was so weird sometimes- the one time he was acting like sixteen year-old always nagging his little sister and then he suddenly was the father for his child. I chuckled. "All right. I love you bro, never forget that." I said feeling my throat constrict for some reason.

"Love you too Baby Swan. Bye"

"Bye.." I said, but the line was already broken. I threw my phone on the table, let myself fall back on the couch and slung my arm over my face. Not long after, I fell asleep, exhausted.


	38. Chapter Thirty-Seven

I woke up from the sound of a door closing and Charlie calling out the usual 'Bella? Melody?'. I got up slowly, stretched and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, before heading to the kitchen where Bella stood, cooking burrito's.

"Hey little lady, how do you feel now?" Charlie asked me when I sat down on my kitchen chair. I knew he wasn't just asking about the fact I was suffering from a headache and a slight fever.

"I feel a bit better, thank you." I replied. Bella was obviously quiet, but her mind was full of giddiness and confusion. I didn't want to hear her thoughts.

"Bella? About that Seattle trip Saturday…" Charlie suddenly asked. he wanted to know for sure what her plans were. Bella's back tensed before she turned around with an oven plate filled with burrito's. "What about that, dad?"

"Well, I just want to know what your exactly going to do that day." He stated. Saturday was going to be one of my biggest nightmares.

"Oh, well, I'm going to Seattle early in the morning and…I hope to be at home in time for the Dance at school." she answered, still tense. Charlie nodded, surprised somehow that she was going to the dance after all. I was just hoping he wouldn't fall from his chair when I told him I was going too.

"Alright, that's fine by me. Melody? What are your plans for upcoming Saturday?"

"Uhm..well, Alice kind off forced me to join them at the Spring Dance," Charlie's eyes went as big as golf balls, "so, I'm going to spend the afternoon at their place so they can use me as their life-size dress-up doll." I finished. The look on my father's face was quite priceless and I started to chuckle. Bella however, seemed enormously chagrined by the fact that I was going there with the other Cullen's – she hated it that they accepted me instead of her.

We enjoyed the burrito's , which Bella actually made deliciously, did the dishes and finished our homework. After that, I decided to call it a night. My temperature had reduced and was almost back at its normal degree.

When I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling, I wondered what would happen to Charlie after I'd changed too – he was completely human after all. Would he just let us go , grow old and die someday? The idea of a life without Charlie in it, frightened me. Sure, some day, I'd want a life on my own, if Charlie would still be somewhere, that I'd be able to visit him if I'd want too would be great. But what if I didn't make it until then? What if my mother got a hold of me before that could happen? What if she'd kill anyway? Because, I was still only human after all.

I panicked, trying to calm myself with thoughts like: 'relax, you can shield yourself then she won't find you,' or 'she gave up anyway after last time,' or 'by the time she's found me, I'm probably already changed and stronger,'.

I kept thinking about things, I didn't want any thought about. When I started to get tired, I chanced a glance at the clock. My eyebrows shot up in surprise – 03:40 AM, it read. Then I remembered something and I jumped out of the bed, tiptoeing downstairs. When I reached the couch, I crouched down, stuck my arm beneath it and retrieved the book I'd shoved under there. it would've been risky if Bella found it there while cleaning up. I clutched the book to my chest and tiptoed back upstairs again, sneaking into my room and clicking the door close without making much of a noise. I let myself fall on the mattress again and felt the sleep creeping into my consciousness.

'_I fell down from sky high, the force of air whipping my hair backwards. I'd fallen, but didn't know where I was headed. When I neared the ground, I closed my eyes, preparing for the impact. It never came. When I opened my eyes again, I was standing in the middle of the dance floor. The spring Dance. I saw a few classmates, but I searched for someone. I'd know when I saw him. My ruby red dress, flowing behind me, trailing over the gym floor. The music was blaring with a vast bass beating. Where was he? For whom was I looking? _

_ Then I saw him, with his back to me. his wary bronze hair sticking at all sides. Whom was he talking too? why didn't he turn around? I walked closer, but the distance between only seemed to get bigger. What was going on? I knew his name, I wanted to call for him, I did call out to him but as my lips moved desperately, my voice was stuck. I blinked once and then, he was gone. I began running now, searching, still silently screaming his name. Out of the blue, someone tapped my shoulder, which made me turn around. I gasped at the sight before me, even though I didn't notice whom had tapped me. There he was. Edward. In a tux, dancing with a women wearing a enormous white puffy dress and a veil. What was happening._

_ 'Sorry, you're not invited. Get out of here.' A voice echoed through my ears. I wanted to know whom was the women dancing with him. I needed to. When they turned around, I saw her face. My heart broke again. it was Bella. _

_ 'I told you, you weren't invited. Leave! NOW!' he suddenly growled next to my ear. No! I wanted to scream, don't leave me! but there was nothing heard. I grabbed Edward's hand and struggled but another force of air, blew me backwards, making me lose grip of his sparkling hand._

_ I fell again, into darkness. '_

I gasped, startled and bolted upright in bed. the alarm clock was beeping while I studied my surroundings. It was my bedroom, the blue walls with silver decorations, the fairy twinkle lights hanging on the wall. It was just another nightmare. I sighed heavily before climbing off the mattress, heading to the bathroom for my morning routine. Bella was already awake, having breakfast in the kitchen. Her mind was swirling with scenario's of her and Edward at the dance party. A flash of the nightmare flooded back to me, making me drop my toothbrush and almost knocking a few bottles from its shelf. I pinched the bridge of my nose, calming myself. The nightmare must have been a sign – I needed to let him go. Why? Because I loved him.

Once dressed in jeans, a red college sweater and black chucks, I descended the stairs, carrying my bag with me. Bella stood in the hall waiting for me, so I rushed to the refrigerator to grab a bite and hurried out of the door after her. She didn't utter a word to me.

The familiar silver Volvo stood parked in the driveway, with its owner standing gloriously leaning against the door. _Let him go_, my mind reminded me. I glanced at him once, seeing him looking back with a sad expression. He did that a lot – as if he felt pity for me.

Without a second thought I went to the old rusty truck and slung my bag in it.

"What are you doing? You're not going to drive with us?" Bella hissed at me. I looked back, eyes narrowed. "No. have a nice ride." I growled back before slamming the door of the roaring beast shut. in my rearview mirror, I saw another pitiful look from Edward. completely into the rush of anger I couldn't stop the remark I barked out.

"Fuck you."

The pathetic feelings of heartbreak were suddenly replaced by ultimate hatred and anger towards the man I'd fallen in love with. He wouldn't love me back anyways. I ignored the shocked look on his face and started to rhythmically tap the steering wheel, waiting until he'd turned out of the driveway. When his car raced through the street, I started the rumbling engine and backed out of the driveway, starting my ride to school as well.

I'd calmed down a bit during the way to school. why I acted like that in the morning, was because my feelings were awfully conflicted. Maybe letting him go completely, wasn't an option – it made me feel depressive just thinking about it. I decided I needed to find the right compromise.

"Where the hell was that right for! I mean, God! Why are you always being so mean to Edward!" Bella was by my side the minute I'd safely jumped out of the truck. I rolled my eyes. She was acting like the protective girlfriend already. the irony of it made me chuckle.

"What!? do you think this is funny or something?" she bellowed.

"Christ Bella! I'm not happy peppy all day! Can't you just leave me the fuck alone for a change!?" I fumed back at her, slinging my bag over my shoulder, ignoring the Cullens and stomping my way to my locker.

When I was on my way to the cafeteria, I saw Edward and snatched him away. He's way stronger than I am off course, but he just obliged while I pushed him between two buildings where no one could see us. when he turned to me, he got a wary look on his face. I, however, was like always the blushing picture of innocence.

"Melody, what's go – "

"I want to apologize to you." I rushed out. There, I did it. Edward looked confused for a second, wanting to ask why when I interrupted him once more.

"Look, the reason why I acted so weird this morning was because..I don't feel really well. I mean – everyone seems to think that I'm always happy, clumsy and irritating, but seriously; I'm most definitely not. And you know, that 'fuck you' comment, well it was quite ironic since – " I was cut off by his large hand covering my lips, making my nervous ranting stop. I blushed even more than I already did.

"I already accepted you're apology when you snagged me away from my path. No need to explain yourself, little one – you're my best friend. So, I'm going to drag my hand away and then you're done apologizing alright?" Edward said, his voice soft like velvet. I nodded and he let go of my mouth.

" – you're actually already undead so the term fuck you doesn't suit with it." I finished the Edward induced broken sentence. He laughed, throwing his head back.

"You're crazy you know that?" he chuckled, leaving the space between buildings with me following him.

"I'm surprised you're even saying it – I knew I was going to be like this from the moment I was conceived." I stated dryly. Edward laughed again, leading us to the cafeteria.

"you must've been a smart egg then." Edward said with a serious tone. I looked up at him, mouth agape until he shot up his eyebrow, "What?"

My lips started quivering from the laughter I tried to hold. He was so dead. A giggle escaped my throat before the bouldering laughter followed.

"An egg..!?" gasp " Seriously!? " laughter, gasps "oh fuck me!"more laughter "have you seen you're eggshell head in the mirror lately, Cullen!?" I snorted through my huge giggle fest.

"Eggshell head? Do I look like an eggshell? Fuck! I'm supposed to be beautiful!" he replied, chuckling. I decided to make I a bit worse.

"Have you ever seen a sparkling eggshell?" I asked, calmed down a bit but still giggling. He gave me a weird look. "No?" I chuckled again.

"Well, then you seriously should've seen my Easter eggs from when I was four, I mean those eggs we're covered in pink sparkles." I chuckled, Edward went along with me.

"What's wrong with the pink sparkle part?" he asked seriously, eyeing me with amusing filled eyes.

"I wanted blue sparkles! You should've seen me crying!" I added. He roared with laughter, and by this time I was doubled over, holding my stomach that hurt from the fun. I didn't know for long we laughed and this topic went absolutely nowhere, but it felt so natural to have fun with him like this. When we were just after-giggling, they bell rang.

"Oh fuck! You haven't had any lunch, I'm sorry." Edward apologized, grabbing his bag from the ground.

"Ah, I don't mind. I'll eat between class shifts." I reassured him. Just at that moment, Alice came bouncing to us.

"What have you guys been doing? We missed you at lunch." _'I didn't know Bella could look so chagrinned.' _

"Well, we wanted to got here, but we didn't even made it to the cafeteria." Edward told Alice seriously. Alice's eyes went wide and she thought about one thing, _'Oh my GOD! Did you guys jump each other in school!?' _

"What! Woah! Alice no, I meant that we were laughing so hard on our way here that we didn't make it to the cafeteria." Edward explained hastily.

"What did you do to make him laugh so hard?" Alice had turned to me. I shrugged.

" I only apologized and told him about what happened to me when I was conceived." I told her seriously. When I finished the sentence Edward was already gasping from laughing again.

"Seriously, what have you done with him!" Alice laughed joyfully along with us.

The rest of the week went on like this. Edward and I started to form a really close friendship. But that's what it only was – friendship. And even though I longed for more, I'd put my feelings aside, enjoying the time an fun I had with him.

The problem was – I began to fall in love with him even more.


	39. Chapter Thirty-Eight

Before I knew it was Saturday, which meant 'torture day' for me. I unwillingly climbed out from under the duvet, and headed to my desk. This week, my sleeping hours, just as I expected after reading the book, had reduced. What, started at my birth until last week, were eight hours were now six. I'd already lost two hours. I neatly wrote them down in a diary I kept for a while now. I wrote all kinds of changes in there, wanting to read them back once I was through it. After I'd done what I needed to, I grabbed fresh clothes and went to the bathroom, where Bella already was being her girly self in front of the mirror.

"Morning Bella." I said dryly. I dropped my clothes on a shelf and waited for her to finish applying her makeup.

"Morning Dwarf." She said back, smirking. She couldn't just leave it.

"Are you done sometime today, or do I need to call Edward and ask for a little help?" I asked sarcastically. I was in one hell of a mood, but you couldn't blame me completely – Bella was going on a date with Edward today, I was going to be tortured and used as a Barbie and to give this day an epic final I was forced to go to the spring Dance.

"Geez! Chill out you. I'm done already." Bella huffed as she left the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. I didn't even flinch.

I quickly undressed, jumped under the warm spray and once again tried to relax with the smell of bananas surrounding me.

After a while of steaming the all the mirrors, I got out, dried off and got dressed. I didn't have to do anything special with my hair or makeup – Alice and Rosalie would do everything they could to make me look somewhat, and I quote, 'Smokin' Sexy'. Really, not my words.

My clothes weren't anything special either – just chocolate brown skinny jeans and a cream colored long-sleeved shirt. My tag was underneath, as always.

I went back to my room to get my dress and the shoes and jewelry that belonged with it, before I headed downstairs to make myself breakfast.

When I rounded to corner into the kitchen, I saw Bella quickly ravaging a bowl of cereal. I tried not to laugh and made a bowl with cornflakes myself.

"Where are the keys of the truck? I need it today."

"What? why? How am I supposed to go to Alice if I can't drive the truck? I thought you were going with Edward?" I rushed out, my voice taking on a slightly higher pitch.

"You can go by bike, I mean I asked Edward if we could take my car! he's not even taking his Volvo to get here!" Bella replied in the same high pitch I'd used. I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"You know what? never mind. take the truck, I'll think of something else." I said to her, having calmed my upcoming aggressiveness. I was starting to get better with handling my sudden emotions.

Just as I finished breakfast, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Bella practically sang as he hopped over to the front door, opening it in a rush. I shook my head, clearing my mind. through Bella's mind I saw how beautiful he looked today. His tan sweater looked lovely with his butterscotch eyes. It was a good thing he wasn't able to read my mind and see me melting. I took a glance at the clock. It was ten in the morning and I had agreed to be at the Cullen house at eleven. How was I going to manage that? I didn't even know where the damn house was…

"Hey Ody!"

I hadn't noticed him coming in during my frustrated musings about how I was getting to his house. I turned around, giving him the most loving smile I could muster. I was rewarded with the crooked grin of his own.

"Morning Edward! Did you have a nice night?" I asked sincerely, not really sure if that was an appropriate question. Edward smiled friendly, walking up to me. I briefly wondered where Bella was, and caught her mind upstairs, rummaging with her hair and makeup once more.

"Yeah, well nothing more different than the thousand of night before." He chuckled, averting his eyes from mine.

"so what are you up to today? I heard something about Alice torturing you?" he asked me, leaning back against the doorpost. I tried to smile, but failed. He chuckled upon seeing my scowl.

"Yeah, well, they're going to torture me indeed. I don't even think that's the right word, I mean, I think violating fits better." I said sheepishly, rubbing my neck out of nervousness. Edward laughed a bit, "so you're also at the dance tonight?" he asked with a inviting sparkle shining in his deep eyes. I nodded, a bit dazed, pointing at the shoe boxes behind me.

"Yep. That's were al this violation is about actually. I think they even want to teach me to dance!" I exclaimed, my eyes wide, probably looking like a deer caught in the head-lights.

"You know, maybe we can d – " before Edward could finish what he wanted to ask me, Bella bounced around the corner.

"All right, I'm ready to go! You to Edward?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at him. Edward smiled a bit wary, like he felt kind of uncomfortable. He did nod at my sister, though, and after they told me to have a nice day , which Edward said with a devilish smirk smeared across his features, they left with the truck.

Just as I was about to get my bike from the garage, thinking of the best way to transport my clothes without destroying it, I heard a honk. I whirled around, only to see Alice waving at me, sitting in Rosalie red convertible. I shook my head, huffing a small laugh in amazement. I ran up to her, surprisingly without tripping, carrying my baggage with me.

"How did you – " I paused, knowing exactly what she would answer. she tapped her head and grinned, "Psychic remember?" she sang in that musical voice of hers. I rolled my eyes.

"Now, place your stuff in the trunk and get the hell in here!" she laughed. I did as she asked and after having made sure the front door was securely closed, I stepped in the car and we raced through Forks on our way to the Cullen estate.

When we rode upon the Cullen's driveway, I was amazed when I saw the huge house standing there. Somehow, I looked familiar to me, but as I tried to dig into a memory, it was too hazed to conclude something out of it.

"Wow! Alice it's so beautiful here!" I gushed, making Alice smile. It was an old, but huge Victorian house, but with modern features. It looked absolutely fabulous to me.

"I know! Esmé does a lovely job designing all this!" Alice replied as we got out of the car. Then I remembered something," Wait a minute – Did your Mom design my room too?" I asked, surprised. Alice nodded enthusiastically.

"Yep! I helped her decorating. I saw a vision of you sleeping in your newly designed room and I helped Esmé draw it all out!" she informed me. At this time we had walked up the porch and I started to feel a bit nervous. Off course I'd already met Carlisle, but his wife, Esmé was completely unfamiliar to me. Alice seemed to sense my sudden mood shift.

"Don't worry Mells, I'm sure they'll adore you!" she enthused as she opened to large front door, letting me step inside first. I hung up my jacket at the elegant peg and took of my shoes. Alice gave me a wary look. _'Why is she putting off her shoes?'_

"I don't want to walk in there and mud the floor you know." I added so she would get it. Alice exclaimed and sheepish 'oh' and then led me into the living room. It was mostly cream colored with brown accents. I chuckled, "Well, I obviously fit well into your mom's decorating style!" I pointed at my clothes and Alice let out a giggle too.

"Hey Melody." A womanly musical voice said at a normal but although welcoming tone.

"Hi Rosalie," I said back, smiling a bit. Rosalie still wasn't a big friend of mine but, I was sure she just needed to get used to the fact that Bella and I were probably going to around much. Rosalie walked up to us, still standing in the middle of the living room.

A devilish smirk curved the blonde's lips upright, "So? Are you ready to be tortured today?"

"No, but it will happen anyway." I stated dryly, giving Alice one of my special death glares – I often used those for my crappy sister. Alice rolled her eyes at me.

When I looked around the room, my eyes caught the sight of various canvasses hanging on the wall. It were family pictures. I looked over my shoulder at the two vampire ladies, "May I?"

They both nodded and just as I started studying the beautiful pictures, I noticed two other minds in the room.

_'Ah, there she is. I wonder how she's dealing with all this,'_ Carlisle thought musingly. Next to him, I heard another mind whit and unfamiliar voice. That must be Esmé.

_'Look at her! I'm positive she's pretty. Oh! And she so little! That's so cute!' _

I fought the urge to roll my eyes, even though the blush spread through my cheeks. I heard that a lot – being little, apparently, was cute.

"Melody, I'd like you to introduce to our parents, or whatever they are actually." Alice giggled, the other joining her as I turned around to face them.

Mr. and Mrs. Cullen were surprisingly, casually dressed. Carlisle wore plain blue jeans and a simple green pullover. Esmé was dressed in jeans also and a warm looking vest covered her upper frame. Her caramel brown hair fell alongside her heart-shaped face where a motherly smile was found.

I slowly, but curiously went to them, extending my hand. Carlisle didn't hesitate and shook it.

"Nice to see you again Dr. Cullen." I said, smiling reassuringly, letting them know I was oaky with all this – it didn't matter to me what they were. I was practically the same.

"Likewise Melody! I haven't seen you on ER lately so I assume you're alright?" the blonde, friendly doctor asked. even though he and Edward were far from relatives, I could see a link between the two.

"Yes, I'm fine!" I said even though I, and Alice probably too, knew I was lying. I went to Esmé and she eagerly stuck out her hand to me, which I took to shake.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, dear! I've heard so much about you!" she gushed, her eyes sparkling. In her head she was already thinking about what I might like to eat later for dinner – after all, I was a guest and a human who needed to eat once in a while.

"It's really nice to meet you too Mrs. Cullen! I hope they haven't only told the clumsy stories." I added, my smile widening. I really liked those people. I felt at home here and somewhere in the back of my mind, that thought frightened me till no end.

"Oh, Just call me Esmé sweetheart." The mother figure of the Cullen clan reassured me. I nodded in understanding.

"And you can call me Carlisle off course."

"All right – Carlisle and Esmé." I smirked while saying this, getting four smiles in return.

"Well, it's about lunch time, so, Melody, do you want some lunch?" Rosalie asked hesitatingly. The others were a bit tense as well, gauging my reaction.

"Yeah, sure, I'd like that." I answered, telling them it was okay with my eyes. Esmé started smiling widely, "You should follow me to the kitchen and I'll give you something! I've made cinnamon bread this morning! What would you like for dinner tonight?" she rattled excitingly while I followed her to a vast kitchen. Alice and Rosalie went to set everything up at Alice's vanity and Carlisle left to go back to his study. He was worried about today, they all were and the big question was - what would happen to Edward and Bella?

As I sat down on a stool at the large oak table, Esmé set a plate with cinnamon bread covered with butter in front of me. It was still fresh – it still damped from its warmth. Esmé sat down in front of me, curious if I liked it. No one ever tasted it before, off course. I cut of a piece and slid into my mouth, savoring the sweet taste one my tongue. The taste of it was delicious and before I could even notice it, I moaned, my eyes widening.

"Mmmm!" I exclaimed, immediately slamming my hand across my mouth, blushing scarlet. Esmé seemed to b satisfied by my spontaneous reaction ,though.

"Wow, this is ridiculously delicious! It's tastes divine!" I told her excitingly before stuffing another bite in my mouth, being able to hold back the moan this time.

When I was done with eating Esmé's cinnamon bread, she told me what she was planning to prepare me for dinner, which I agreed too. After that she told me to find the girls, who were upstairs. She gave me instructions how to get there and I took off, starting at the gracious stairs. On the first floor, where I needed to be, were various rooms. Esmé told me to take the second door on the left, which I did. I dragged my arm upwards, wanting to knock, but the psychic pixie told me to come in already.

Alice's room was massive. The walls were painted a rich color of purple and a large golden mirror was hanging on the farthest wall. Next to the canopy bed, also with touches of golden, was a large vanity, where Alice and Rosalie where sitting, grins in place. my shoeboxes were already lying on the white duvet that covered her bed.

I went to them and Rosalie mentioned for me to sit down on the chair. There were lying all kinds of makeup and hair products spread on the table.

"Don't you worry – you'll look fabulous when we're done with you! But first, we'll give you a mini-spa!" Alice squealed happily. I sighed and just wanted this to be over as soon as possible.

After a whole afternoon of mani-pedi's, face scrubs, hair masks and other things I couldn't even name, Esmé came to the rescue when she called out my dinner was ready. Alice and Rosalie let me go and when I got downstairs, the smell off homemade Focaccia bread with unions and ham. If she was going to spoil me with all this way to awesome food all the time, I think I'm going to install a bedroom in her refrigerator.

Both Carlisle and Esmé were seated at the table, on either side next to me. they made small talk with me while I ate. Alice and Rose had joined us, making jokes and telling their parents what kind of treatments I'd already had. It made me feel so whole – so normal. Like family.

Suddenly without even realizing it, a tear leaked from the corner of my eye, making them all gasp.

_'Oh no! what's wrong? Did we upset her?'_

_ ' There it is – the expected shock. I knew this would happen sooner or later'_

_ 'why is she crying? What did we do?'_

"whoa! No, no guys! don't interpreted this wrongly. I think these are happy tears…I mean, I've never endured this…I wished my parents would be like this together. " I turned to Esmé \ still teary eyed. "And you, Esmé, I only know you for such a short time but you already are a mother to me, I mean, I never really had one, I – " within a second, I was stuck in a firm hug. it was icy cold, but the warmth that spread through my body, was worth the freezing minute. I meant what I'd said – Scarlett might've been a mother figure to me, but she was still my sister. This woman was a mother to her adoptive vampire children. she cared deeply from them, I could read that in her mind.

"Oh, I'm so sorry darling! I didn't know that!"Esmé sobbed as she let me go, brushing away the unshed tears from my overheated cheeks. I smiled shyly, a bit embarrassed from my sudden blast of emotions. Carlisle nodded at me, letting me know he felt the same way as Esmé did.

"It's okay Esmé. I've lived like this for many years." I stated still smiling slightly. Alice came to stand behind me, hugging my shoulders. "You might not know, but Melody – you mean a lot to us! you're my best friend and Carlisle, Esmé, Jazz, Em, Rose and even Neddie seems to agree with me on that part either. You belong here. Human or not." She stated firmly, telling me the truth using her golden eyes. I knew I did. I belonged there, there with this vampire family. With Edward or not.

After the emotional moments we had during my dinner, Alice and Rosalie ushered me back upstairs so we could start to get dressed for the dance. Just as they started brushing my hair, I heard the front door close downstairs. it was that silent and I hadn't noticed the highly charged atmosphere.

Edward was home.

Rose, Ali and I stayed silent, listening to the conversation that went on downstairs. they listened, I watched.

"Edward…Thank God everything went well! How are you feeling, love?" Esmé was talking as I watched through Jasper's mind, whom had entered the house as well, together with Emmett.

"I feel,..a bit overwhelmed I guess. But it went alright. No harm is done. Bella alive and well human." Edward ensured the other's. Alice and Rose were multitasking with preparing me fro the dance while listening closely.

_'Edward your emotions tell otherwise…' _Jasper thought, making Edward slightly turn his head towards him, giving him a mean glare.

_'Fine, I won't tell.' _

I missed something, but Jasper's mind wouldn't let me find out. I let go of his mind and shot back into my head. It stung a bit from the force and probably from the distance I needed bridge.

There was obviously something Edward didn't want to tell, but what it would be was even a secret to me.

"All right, you can look!" Rose called delighting. They spun me around in the chair, making me face the mirror of Alice's vanity. I gasped, closing the gap between the reflecting glass en myself.

"Holy crap! Is that really me?" I exclaimed, amazed. My friends nodded.

My hair was draped backwards, cascading down over my shoulders, the highlights perfectly spread through the natural curls I straightened every morning. I saw through rose's mind there was a small black bow on the back of my head. My eyes got even more expressive and intense by the way the makeup was applied – a medium thick line of eyeliner curved along my eyelids with my lashes forming a seductive frame, creating a beautiful smokey-eye look. on my cheeks was a really slight touch of pink blusher and my puffy lips were glossy and almost nude colored. I could honestly say I kind of looked like vampire at that precise moment.

Rosalie and Alice tugged me towards Alice's large mirror in the back of her room. I gasped again, feeling like a princess.

The dress I'd bought in Port Angeles fitted perfectly with the black lacey peep-toe heels I'd gotten for my fifteenth birthday last November. A thin bracelet with soft pink lace and small pearls was on my left wrist, while a simple but elegant ring with silver gemstone adorned my right ring finger.

"And here…the finishing touch." Alice came to stand behind me, already dressed herself in a jade-green cocktail dress, taking a silver bracelet out of a box. Rosalie came to stand beside me and fastened the jewel around my wrist. As I saw the pendant, I gasped, whirling around to look at them. Every Cullen wore a accessory with their own crest. I'd gotten one now too.

It was small, silver but obviously their Cullen crest. In the middle of it was a small sign. I recognized it immediately.

"Alice how did y – "

"Know that? I saw it while dressed for gym. It's the same symbol as your tattoo." She explained. She was right – on my right hip, just below the bone was a treble clef curved like a swan. Melody Swan. It was the symbol of my name.

"Wow! Guys! Thank you so fucking much!" I exclaimed, my voice cracking from emotion. I didn't know what it was lately – I only seemed to cry the whole time.

"Aw! Melody, you know love you!" Alice said to me, hugging me as tightly as she could muster without breaking anything from me. Rose joined her, "You deserve this. I know you do."

And somehow, I got the feeling Rosalie knew where I'd been through only six months before I moved here. Rosalie had given up – she gave up trying to protect herself from something she didn't need to get away from anymore.

I had become her friend, her sister. Family.

And then again, with or without Edward – nobody could take this from me. Never.


	40. Chapter Thirty-Nine

**A/N; Alright so! we're close to ending! :( Well...still ten chapters left! **

**I want to warn you though - this story is rated M for obvious reasons! So it's going to get like that at the end of the chapter!**

* * *

Alice and Rosalie were both dressed fabulously.

Rose's dress was red, knee-length and had a low-cut back. Two shoulder straps were keeping it all together, making the shiny material flow naturally along her vampire curves. Her blond curls were cascading down her shoulders while her red Gucci heels were completing the whole outfit.

Alice's dress, however, was a jade-green off-shoulder dress with the lower hemline falling above the knee. Her short black pixie hair was made up with a little help from the curling irons and her onyx black Chanel heels were creating a mysterious but lovely contrast.

"Maybe I should take my sneakers with me, just to be sure?"

During my mani-pedi, Alice had talked me of off the idea of wearing my ankle-high black converse sneakers. Instead, she made me wear 12 inch killerheels.

"Yeah, you should. You can drop them in your locker until you'll need them later tonight." Alice replied.

"So? Are we ready to go, or what?" Rosalie stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorpost, smiling. Alice nodded enthusiastically and dragged me out of the room.

They both descended the stairs gracefully, while I took one slow and careful step at the time, looking down at my clumsy feet.

Once I was standing at the end of the stairs, without any caused harm, a group of gasps made me aware of other than Rose and Ali in the room – Four minds I could read and a silent one. I looked up, seeing Esmé smiling widely with a camera in her hands. Emmett and Jasper were standing next to her, appreciating their women , while Carlisle stood next to his wife.

"You look awesome Rosie!" Emmett enthused, a wicked smile covering his face. I blushed furiously when I heard his desirous thoughts, but luckily no one seemed to really notice – I blushed so often, that the redness of my cheeks almost seemed permanent.

"Ali, you look beautiful, as always." Jasper stated simply but true to his words, hugging her to his chest.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder, startling the crap out of me.

I spun my head, to be met with the crooked grin I loved so much.

"You look pretty, Mells." Edward assured me ,"It looks like you've grown a few inches." He chuckled, the others going along with him. I blushed, again, off course. The pleasantly warmth that spread through me upon hearing his words, felt almost natural.

"All right kids – picture time! I want a few new photo's hanging on my wall."Esmé practically squealed., pushing the me out of her way.

"Ah, well, I'm going to pick up Bella. I'll see you at the dance." Edward informed us, throwing on his grey leather jacket. I hadn't even had the chance to watch what he was wearing – he'd left the house quite quick.

Together with Alice and Rose, I posed for a few pictures. Jasper and Alice got a few shots together also, just as Emmett and Rosalie did. Esmé wanted a group photo and one of me with her two adoptive sons. They both pulled me into a sideward's hug, leaving my tiny feet dangling in the air.

When our small photo session was done, Esmé and Carlisle ushered us out off the house.

"Have good time!" they sang. I thanked Esmé for dinner and followed the others out off the house, heading to the cars.

Rose pulled the engine and we drove to Forks High School.

When we arrived, a lot of others were already there – the school's parking lot was almost full.

Alice, rose and I got out of the car, just as Emmett and Jasper got out of Emmett's jeep. The silver Volvo, however, wasn't there yet.

"And? Excited to go party yet?"Emmett asked, bumping my shoulder at a human strength.

"Yeah, I guess. I hope the music is endurable." I answered, smiling.

Right at that moment, the sound of a car engine made my head turn around.

"Looks like the lovebirds are here."Emmett said smirking making Jasper chuckle with him. I saw Rosalie roll her eyes and Alice just standing there – no expression, no thoughts.

"Well, I think you've got that wrong, I mean, Bella's afraid of birds. And you see, Edward's a vampire, so…" I stated dryly, making Emmett laughing loudly. His guffaws were heard from across the lot. When he got to chuckles again, he said,

"I like her! Can we keep her?" we all laughed at his comment as Edward and Bella neared us.

Bella was wearing a harsh pink colored, strapless dress with her frontage almost piling out of it. her hair was straightened and lose, falling alongside her heavy makeup-ed face. The black leather strappy heels she wore looked kind off dangerous to me. on those shoes even she would beak an ankle.

_'Maybe we should've given Bella some help too?'_ Alice was deep in thought, debating if she should feel guilty or not. I thought that was strange since she really liked the idea of Edward and Bella dating.

Edward , however, was the image of perfection, for at least I thought. He was wearing a pair of black jeans, a white dress shirt, a tux jacket and a black tie surrounding his neck. On his feet were black hi-top sneakers and his wild hair was somehow slightly tamed.

When I looked at his face to admire it, I caught him staring at me with a strange expression. It was when he looked at me like this, that I dazed out and forgot everything that surrounded me.

He saw me looking back and quickly broke eye-contact, grabbing Bella's hand and creasing his brows. The sight of them holding hands should hurt me, but I'd talked myself into numb when there was something about Edward and Bella's relationship. It did hurt, but I didn't feel it anymore. sure, the sting was there, but that was also a reason for the fact that my soul was true.

"Alright guys! Let's get inside! I want to dance with my man!" Alice chirped happily, dragging jasper with her as we all giggled. Emmett, Rose and Edward went with them also and as I wanted to follow, Bella's hand on my arm stopped me. I knitted my brows together as I looked up at her. She seemed to wait until Edward was out of sight before speaking.

"Oh. My. God! I need to tell you something!" she squealed. I was confused. What could she simply want to tell me?

"What then, Bella?" I asked, confusions till clouding my mind.

"Edward's my boyfriend! Can you believe that!?" she gushed, whisper yelling at me. I swallowed at her words but, boyfriend was just a title, I could try to live with that.

"And, seriously, he kissed me! we kissed! It was so awesome! He's such a good kisser, like, you know his lips taste so divine! Oh, my god it was so good!" she enthused further, the images and feelings flowing through her mind all over again. I tried to swallow again, but the knot in my throat, blocking my chances for air, made it difficult. I may have thought the numbness was something that would save me from the excruciating pain, but I was wrong.

It was a fact – Edward and Bella were officially a couple.

After I'd dropped my jacket, sneakers and other important stuff in my locker, I made my way to the gym – I'd heard it was all decorated. Every time I thought about only one Cullen, or something that was related to that, the first thing that jumped my mind were Bella's words.

_Edward's my boyfriend! Can you believe that?_

I rounded the corner, seeing a few teachers standing next to the doors, superintend everything that was happening.

_ He kissed me! we kissed!_

I headed to Mrs. Cope, standing at the entrance of the party space and handed her my ticket. She smiled at me, pressed a stamp on the paper and let me through.

I let my eyes search and wander through the crowded space I was in. A lot of people were already dancing – the party was in full swing. I watched as couples danced together, grinding and moving against one another.

_His lips taste so divine!_

Feeling my head spin, I twirled around once more to find Alice or anyone that belonged with my group. I spotted them then, in the far back of the room surrounding a high table with bar stools. I wormed myself through the crowd, walking in their direction. I gasped when I saw Edward's hand laying on Bella's lower back.

_Oh my god it was so good! We kissed!_

I stopped for a second, debating if I should run or not. No. I wasn't going to let _her_ ruin this for me. Not now, not ever. So I stepped further until I reached the table, fake smile pasted on my face.

"There you are! Do you want something to drink?"Alice was practically bouncing with giddiness.

"Oh, uhm…a glass of coke would be nice."

"Okay!" she said before heading off to the tables with all sorts of drinks set on it. Tearfully, the tables were authorized by several teachers, so I wasn't going to get the 'sex-on-the-beach' cocktail I desperately needed at the moment. I briefly remembered my fifteenth birthday last November – my sisters had taken me out to some chic night club, telling the bouncers I was much older than I looked, so they let us in. There'd been all kinds of cocktails and mix drinks they let me try – from vodka to tequila. The orange colored, like peach tasting drink 'sex-on-the-beach' had been my absolute favorite. The hangover I got that morning after, was less awesome, though.

"Here you go!"Alice came to stand next to me, handing me my alcohol-free drink while she handed Bella hers. I nodded and exclaimed a small thanks, knowing she'd hear it above the music.

We stood there together, talking about simple things, while I tried to avoid looking to my right, while music blared through the speakers. After a while Alice had enough of it.

"Jazz, we're going to dance! Now!" she stated and dragged Jasper with her whom showed a terrifying expression. We all knew he was just faking that off course. They started dancing on a slow song that I didn't recognize, and I watched them. You could easily see how much they were in love with each other.

Rosalie and Emmett followed suit and Bella wanted to go to, tugging at Edward's jacket.

"Are you okay with that? I mean,.." he asked me, anxious.

"Yeah, I'm fine here, can't dance on those shoes anyway. You guys go ahead. Have fun or something." I waved them off. Bella dragged him with her, and I caught him looking back at me over his shoulder twice. I seriously didn't understand him. Bella's his girlfriend but why does he actually bother how I feel about things?

I sat on a stool whilst different songs that followed , sipping at my drink slowly, trying to hide my obvious distress.

"Are you going to dance with us? Alice says there's a nice song coming up!" Rosalie, startled me a bit, bringing me down from my chagrinned musings.

"Oh! Uhm..yeah sure. Let me get my sneakers first please – I don't want to break my legs." I told her sheepishly and she giggled, nodded and went back to Emmett.

When I'd made it to my locker with only stumbling once, I grabbed my converse, stepped out of the high heels and sighed. If they could speak my feet would probably have screamed: freedom! I waited for a minute until the uncomfortable tingle had left my toes, before stepping into my comfy familiar sneakers. I closed the locker door and as I was headed back to the party, I heard the lyrics of one of my favorite songs from this moment.

_Woke up on the right side of the bed,_

_ What's up with this prince song inside my head?_

_ I'm in if you're down to get down tonight,_

_ Cause it's always a good time,_

I hurried through the aisles not wanting to miss my favorite part. I busted through the doors , running and worming my way to Alice and the others, just in time.

_Good morning and good night,_

_ I wake up at twilight,_

_ It's gonna be alright,_

_ We don't even have to try,_

_ It's always a good time!_

_ Woah-oh-oh-oh, Woah-oh-oh-oh_

_ it's always a good time,_

_Woah-oh-oh-oh, Woah-oh-oh-oh_

_We don't even have to try, It's always a good time!_

They all danced with me. Jasper, took my hand twirling me around while Emmett jumped up and down on the beat with me. Rosalie had taught me how to swirl with my hips just as Alice learned me her twisting skills. And Even Edward danced with me – Jumping, twirling, turning, twisting and holding my hand as we all got crazy with the music. When he'd touch me, just slightly or not, I was lost. I forgot everything, all my worries, distress and misery.

We all danced like this during more songs, and I needed to confess I had a great time. it was even better that Bella wasn't even close to all of us – she had gone to her friends.

Before we knew it, it was around midnight and we needed to go – I'd promised Charlie I would be home slightly after midnight. We all gathered our stuff as Edward gathered Bella who somehow managed to get tipsy. I stuck my feet back into my high heels just as I promised. Charlie wanted to see how I looked tonight. I'd laughed my ass off when he asked me that.

When we walked outside, into the cold night air, laughing, I realized I had changed so much – the Melody from before was so different than the one from now. but I was better. Now was better. I smiled at the thought as I got into Rose's car, who drove Bella and me back home.

The party haze had made me high, had made me incapable of worrying at the moment. When I wouldn't any distraction anymore, however, things would get difficult. Lucky me I'd had almost a whole night to go mad just because of thinking.

I unlocked the door soundlessly, fumbling a bit with the key. Once my mission was accomplished, I swung it open, and stepped inside, with Bella all giggly behind me. her mind was kind of a blur – Mike made sure to get alcohol inside without getting caught and Bella couldn't demise the offer of a sip. A sip that ended being three glasses. She wasn't completely drunk though, luckily – just awfully tipsy.

I hung up my jacket and heard my heels clicking as I entered the kitchen. Charlie was seated on his chair with his glasses up, reading the paper. Sometimes I wondered how he got all those newspapers – he seemed to read them a lot. When Bella was with me, letting out another giggle upon seeing Charlie with his glasses on, his head shot upright. When he saw us he smiled and got up from his chair, pushing his paper aside and taking off his glasses.

"Hey girls, how was the dance? Did you both had a nice time?" he asked happily, walking up to the tea can, wanting to prepare us a mug of hot chocolate with cream.

"Yeah, we had. We went all crazy on those awesome songs. it was really cool." I answered, sitting down and pulling of my shoes. Bella did the same.

"Well, I need to say, you both look very beautiful tonight!" Charlie grinned, taking his seat in front of us, setting the two steaming mugs on the table. We talked a bit more, while we drank from the hot chocolate. I laughed as Charlie's mustache was covered in white cream – it wasn't like he could help it, though. After a little while, Bella and Charlie got so tired that they left for bed. I did the same but just for pretence.

I shuffled into my bedroom, carrying the shoes with me and dropping them on the floor next to my closet. I untied the little bow in my hair, letting it fall lose upon my shoulders as I heard stumbling and shuffling on the other side of my wall.

"Do you want to stay with me tonight, Edward?"

I froze when I heard Bella's question. Edward was here, or actually – there, with Bella.

"Sure, but I'll just stay on the covers so you won't catch a cold from my temperature." He replied. After that I heard soft smacking sounds and I stopped listening.

Ignoring the sounds, talking and chuckles from the other side, I went for my diary, to write about today.

After an hour of writing, doodling on the sheets of paper and mocking, I suddenly noticed how silent it was. I got up from my desk, rubbing my eyes. I was tired enough to go to sleep now. I reached to my side, tugging down the zipper of my dress, holding the material to my chest until I'd grabbed a nightgown from my closet. I let the dress I'd worn tonight fall down to the ground – it looked like a cotton candy puddle around my ankles, a funny sight, which made me giggle slightly. I tugged at the nude-colored lacy thong and drew it down my legs, kicking the scrappy material from my feet. I didn't know why, but the being naked, knowing that Edward was just on the other side of the damn wall, made my flesh tingle. My breathing sped up a bit as I felt a rush of cold, making the soft peaks on my breasts harden. Before I was able to stop it, images of me and Edward together flowed through my mind.

With shivering fingers, I slowly started to touch the upper side of my breast, just as Edward was doing in my mind. I swallowed as a feeling like electric bolted through me. I had no idea what I was doing, so I didn't know if there was something I could do wrong.

I started caressing my womanly curves – my hands glided along my waist, my upper legs, rubbing my arms, my neck and my breasts and all the while my eyes were closed, my mind elsewhere. I never knew this could elicit such a strong reaction.

In my head, Edward whispered all kinds of lovely phrases and words that made me shiver, he would take the full mounts on my chest into his strong, icy hands, touching them, carefully and then rougher, toying with me. I let out a small, moan-like sound as I felt a rush of wetness gather between my legs.

Suddenly, my legs lost their stance, my knees buckling making me stop with my ministrations. I quickly grabbed hold of the dresser, staying upright. I shook my head and realized what I'd been doing. I stood butt naked, in front of my dresser, practically getting myself off while thinking of my best friend who was on the other side of the wall. My cheeks reddened wildly with embarrassment and I quickly threw on the nightgown I'd thrown on the floor earlier. I picked a pair of panties from the drawer and hurried to my bed, hiding myself under the covers. I started panicking – what if he heard me? what if he left through Bella's window, seeing me sanding there, naked and feeling myself up. I tried to control my breathing, not wanting to have a full blow panic attack.

I shouldn't do this again. It was wrong to do, almost…vulgar. This wasn't me, this was not the shy, innocent Melody I'd always known.

But it was normal ,and it felt so good, so powerful. And all that only in my mind – I hadn't even 'finished'. I felt myself heat up again, thinking back. I needed to stop myself from imagining how it would be like when it would've been real – something that wasn't going to happen.

Even though my instincts and senses were on full-blown, keeping me wide awake for what felt like hours, I fell asleep dreaming about a future that only existed in where it was playing – in a dream.


	41. Chapter Forty

I woke up pretty early. When I glanced at the red numbers on my alarm, it told me that it was past eight in the morning. I heard no shuffling or any sounds that might imply that Bella was awake.

Thinking of Bella made me immediately think off Edward again. He was still here – I could sense that. But why? Had he been here all night? I prayed he hadn't my actions from last night were embarrassing enough – I could've embarrassed myself even more during my famous sleep talking. My face reddened again while warmth flooded through my veins. I quickly grabbed a towel, fresh clothes and went to shower. I didn't know exactly why, but I locked the door behind me.

After a nice and warm shower and having dried my hair, I dressed into a pair of skin-colored stockings, a purple, A-line, cotton dress. When I went back to my room I hung my tag around my neck, put on a pair of cream-colored woolen socks and wanted to go back downstairs when a shining jewel on my desk caught my eye.

It was the Cullen bracelet I'd gotten yesterday.

I grabbed it from its place and fastened it around my left wrist.

Once downstairs, preparing breakfast for myself, hummed a happy song from my favorite band, while shuffling on my feet a bit. The smell of French toast drifted into my nose.

"Yummie." I exclaimed out of nowhere, as my phone started playing its usual ringtone. I left my breakfast on the counter and went to take the phone.

"Hey Alice!"

"Hi Mells! Are you still up for today? I mean, Bella's going too, so maybe I thought you'd like to join us by playing baseball this afternoon?" Alice high musical voice sang through the phone.

"Yeah, sure! I'm already dressed actually – How do I get to your place?"

"Nice! Edward will take you along. Bella will drive the truck." She answered, much to my dismay. I was definitely going to spare some money to buy a damn vehicle myself.

"Right, fine. I'll see you later! Ciao!" I hung up the phone after Alice told me she'd see me later also and went back to my waiting breakfast.

"That really smells pretty delicious, you know."

I was thus startled by the sudden voice next to my ear that I shrieked, twirling around and hitting my head against the cupboards by accident. Edward's amusing smile immediately left his face and his hands fluttered at my head, checking for any injury. I already knew there wasn't any blood, though – I would've smelled it.

"Fuck, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you like that! Forgive me please?" Edward ranted anxiously. I blinked a few times, focusing on what was in front of me. Edward's beautiful golden eyes were really, and I meant, really close to my black ones. My breathing stocked as my eyes went wider. He seemed to realize what he was doing and took a step back.

"No, no, it's okay. You couldn't know." I said, blushing and turning around, averting my flaming face from his, even though he would notice anyway.

"How's your head? Does it still hurt?" he asked as I heard his voice a little bit further away, he was probably sitting on one of the chairs now.

"It stings a little, but that'll pass. I've had…worse." I said, trying to ignore the flashing memories flying through my head when I was talking about the 'worse' part. I picked up the plate with French toast and banana before sitting down on my chair, which was in front of him.

"I believe you're at our baseball game, too?" Edward asked, arching a brow and smiling crookedly. I nodded, constantly suppressing my feelings for the man in front of me.

"Well, You nor Bella are going to play, actually. I think you get why." He grinned wider, the devil. I knew exactly what he was talking about. When he was teasing me like this, it was much easier to try not to like him too much.

"I got that. I'm not that stupid." I snapped at him, unable to hold back the irritation. Tearfully, my snaps didn't have any effect on him – the opposite from what I wanted, clearly. He smiled only wider, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and as I blushed, he chuckled.

Fuck hell! Did he knew what I did last night? If that's true, I gladly like to sink through the tile kitchen floor. Right now.

He didn't show any acknowledge in that, "No, that's right, but your too clumsy for words. I think clumsy isn't even worthy for it." he smirked again, still leaning back in Charlie's chair.

I decided to cease his fun," what are you doing here at this time anyway? Stalking the chief's daughters?" I asked, now my turn to smirk as his face fell into his serious brooding expression.

"I watch you girls sleep at nights. It's fascinating. Bella snores and sometimes mumbles something strange. You talk a lot, like, whole stories. And the weirdest things. I remember you once said – 'Edward, could you get my shoes from the fridge please? I need to put them back in the garden'," he was laughing now as my face had paled and went bloody red right after. Good Lord, I was praying he hadn't heard anything more embarrassing – something like the sexy dreams I'd had about him.

"Admit it, Baby Swan, you dream about me!" he went on in a overdramatic accent. He was having way too much fun over this. Just as I wanted to reply something snarky, Bella bounced down the stairs, giving me a dirty look before smiling at Edward and running up to him. he took her in his arms and kissed her softly. I looked away, pain staking my heart, but the strange expression he wore didn't go unnoticed by me. He was hiding something. Or he was just having too much difficulties by being so close to us all the time.

When Bella finished her breakfast, the three of us headed to the Cullens in our truck. I sat next to Bella, who wanted to take the middle seat. Her jealous and selfish mind spoke volumes.

As the estate came into view, Bella gasped at the sight.

"Wow! It's so huge here!" she said, amazed. Edward smiled.

"Yeah, I know. It's very light and open. We don't have to hide here – we can just be and act like who we are." He explained, his voice taking on a softer tone as he neared the end.

Edward cut the engine, which died with a roar, and got out. Within less than a second he stood next to our door. Ever the gentleman, he opened it and stuck his hand out. I hesitated, but it was an overly friendly gesture, even though I'd wanted it to be more. I grabbed his hand and felt his fingers enclose around my small fingers. I carefully turned and wanted to jump, but that was a bit difficult since he was standing right there. Edward seemed to notice my distress, smiled and grabbed me by my forearm as well, before he lifted me out of the truck, placing me safely on my feet. The moment his hands let me go, I immediately felt cold.

Edward went to help Bella too, but to my surprise she wore a chagrinned expression.

"Seriously, I can get out of this thing myself," she snapped at him. Edward immediately shrank back his hands and let his girlfriend step out. My anger flared at the way she treated him – he deserved so much more than being handled like that.

"Melody!"

The second I heard my name being called, I was pulled into strong arms, hugging me. I chuckled when Alice let go off me. "Oh, hi Bella."

"You're crazy you know that right?" I said, still giggling.

"I know! Edward reminds me every time! Now, let's go inside! Esmé has made some cinnamon bread for you again!" she squealed enthusiastically, tugging me and the bag I was holding with her into the house. I heard Edward laugh as they followed us, but slower. Bella's never been here.

As we entered the house, I kicked off my Vans, shrugged off my coat and followed Alice into the now familiar living room.

Jasper and Emmett were seated on the couch, playing a videogame. It looked like something violent – probably a war simulation. Behind us, I heard Edward and Bella enter and the boys immediately stopped their game. I frowned as they got up, waved at me and went up the stairs. I turned to Alice with a raised eyebrow but she just shrugged.

Alice ushered me to the couch and I sat down as Bella and Edward came into view. Right After, Carlisle and Esmé appeared in the room, briefly waving at me before turning to their 'youngest' son. Edward held Bella's hand loosely.

"Bella, I wanted you to meet my parents. This are Carlisle and Esmé. Mom, Dad, this is Bella." He introduced them in a lovely voice. I saw Carlisle and Esmé smile warmly at them, but was surprised when I heard their confused thoughts.

_'She's not very open. does she even like us? Oh, well she's probably just scared or shy.' _Esmé's troubled face made me want to hug her somehow.

_'I still need to really see why Edward's so smitten with her...'_ Carlisle's thoughts were immediately cut off when Edward looked at him a bit irritated. I actually expected him to get angry, but he didn't – it was like he didn't really cared.

_'Sorry, son. I didn't meant to be so crude.' _

I heard the minds from up the stairs, closer now too. I could imagine them all with their heads around the corner, waiting for any sign so they could show up. it would've been a most funny sight to see.

_'Is that bitch here? I'm leaving.'_ Rosalie off course, couldn't stand it. I was wondering if she'd even play baseball with us.

_'I don't get why Rose does like Melody, but truly hates Bella…seriously, they're sisters right?_' Emmett was having a hard time catching up here.

A mental, frustrated sigh made me aware of jasper. _'Christ, she smells so strongly…God! I don't get Edward anymore. Being in love should be nice, not frustrating..' _

My head shot to Edward as I heard that and caught him looking at me. I blushed and quickly averted my eyes.

Emmett and Jasper suddenly were downstairs, Alice standing next to them. Emmett introduced himself first, apologizing for the fact the Rosalie wasn't there. he said she was out hunting. Jasper looked a bit uncomfortable, but he was able to manage.

When he stuck out his hand, Bella face, however, bleached with fear. Edward had told her that Jasper had difficulties with the diet they were living. Jasper knitted his brows.

"Don't be scared – I won't bite you."

It was deadly silent but I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. All heads shot to me and I blushed, apologizing immediately.

"I- I'm sorry! I mean, it sounds so ironic you know?" I said uncomfortably. Luckily I was rewarded with sweet smiles. But still – don't mess with a vampire.

I saw Bella looking at the huge but beautiful piano in the room. It was Edward's. Alice had told me during my mani-pedi from the day before.

"do you play?" Esmé asked her sincerely. _'Uh…hell no. what is she thinking? That I'm some kind of ballerina girl?' _

It was a good thing that nobody except from me was able to read a mind.

"No, do you?" Bella asked in return with a dull voice.

"Hasn't Edward told you? It's his piano. He plays wonderfully." Esmé gushed, thinking about the amazing pieces her son had written. It made me curious.

"You play piano? Wow! I want to hear it!" Bella said tugging Edward to the piano, who willingly obliged.

He sat down, hovering his hands above the ivory keys.

"This one's for Bella." He said before his fingers started working over the keys like a master. It was a beautiful song. It touched my heart he'd written this for Bella. When he was done, Bella kissed him. I sighed inaudibly.

"That was so beautiful!" Bella gushed, not completely getting what he just did. she just thought it was cool he could write for his own.

"Edward, love? What about the other song? I love that one so much! Can you play that?" Esmé wanted to know.

Edward suddenly looking a bit sheepish and kind off embarrassed even though he wasn't able to bluish – his face spoke volumes.

"Uhm…okay. This one's for Melody actually. I wrote one for both off you. " he stuttered as my heart started beating faster. I got off the couch to go and stand closer to the group of vampires, closer to him and his piano as he started to play a lovely and overly emotional song.

Every single note triggered an emotion within me, bringing back memories – beautiful ones, funny ones but also painful and terrifying. Every single chord made the tears stream only faster over my cheeks as I looked at him as he closed his eyes and went along with the music. And the very idea of the fact that he made it for me, made my heart just die a little more.

When I couldn't take it anymore I cleared my throat.

"Hey Alice, shall we go get dressed for the game?" I croaked, wanting to get out of here. Alice looked at me, seeing my distress and nodded.

"That's okay, I left your bag in my room."

I felt rude for leaving him at the piano like that, but I couldn't handle my emotions much longer. As Alice and turned to take the stairs, I noticed jasper wasn't there anymore either.


	42. Chapter Forty-One

"Are you okay?" Alice asked as I retrieved my clothes from the bag. I turned around to look at her, my eyes still a bit red from the salty tears.

"I am now, It's just…that song made me think off horrible memories. Things I wanted to forget. It's not that I hate the song now – it was beautiful. Someone's never done anything like this for me. Never." I replied, my eyes stinging again with the tears. Alice's face softened as she shielded her thoughts from me.

"So, what did you bring for the game?" she lightened up, pushing the dark mood away. I held up the pieces of clothes one by one.

"A pair of striped leggings," I held up the baseball pants looking white leggings with black vertical stripes. Alice chuckled.

"A grey long-sleeve shirt,"

"A sleeveless baseball vest." I showed her the blue with grey vest were I'd taken out the sleeves. Alice nodded in approval, ushering me to go on.

"And blue socks for underneath that legging."

"Oh! And last but not least – a baseball cap and…my black Adidas!" I enthused, holding up the hat and twirling it on my finger. Alice shook her head.

"And you say I'm crazy!" she giggled. I shrugged, grabbing all the stuff in my arms. Just as I wanted to ask her where the bathroom was she pointed into the direction of what I'd learned was Edward's room.

"It's next to Edward's room."

"Okay, see you in a few."

I left her bedroom and headed for the bathroom she pointed me at. As I opened the door, I gasped at the sight.

"Wow! You guys don't have to shower but have the most sexy bathrooms existing!" I said amazed, knowing Everyone would hear anyway. I heard laughter from close by, but not the Tinkerbelle-like one from Alice. I turned around and saw Edward standing there smirking.

"So you think my bathroom's sexy?" he grinned. I blushed off course. My so called best friend had sent me to his bathroom, not hers. Damn you Alice!

"Uh…I'm sorry. Alice sent me here. I didn't know this was yours."I admitted sheepishly. He nodded," I know she did." he answered. Still standing there.

"Where's Bella?" I asked as I laid the pile of clothes on a drawer.

"She's putting on her baseball stuff as well so I left the room." He answered, still leaning against the doorpost. I arched an eyebrow.

"Oh right. But eh…for as long as I think talking to you is great, I'd like to get dressed myself you know." I said, smirking. He immediately got the message.

"Oh, fuck, sorry! I'll just go downstairs and do..something." he said, rubbing his neck. I chuckled.

"Yeah, go ahead and ..do something?" I said, still chuckling. Edward nodded and turned around to leave but I stopped him.

"Edward?"

He was at the door in less than a second, not at all startling me.

"I'm sorry for..earlier. I didn't mean to walk away like that. It's just th – "

"No worries, Melody, I heard what you said to Alice. it's okay, I understand." His voice was soft, alluring. I nodded, averting my eyes as he left. I closed the door, turned the lock and went to dress myself clumsily.

Once done, I left Edward's bathroom and went downstairs in my baseball uniform. I saw Emmett snicker.

"What? something wrong with acting l;ike I actually like palying sports?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow. He laughed.

"No, but you can't play sports. That's dangerous for you. How in the world did you get this uniform?" He asked, wearing just jeans and a baseball shirt himself.

"The men in my family are super baseball fanatics. So they got me this when I went to a game with them." Little did Emmett know I was actually good at this sport.

"The men in your family?" Rosalie asked, not getting what I meant. The other's didn't really got it either, except from Emmett off course since I once told him.

"Yeah, my father, brother, brothers in law and my nephew. I have more siblings you know." I explained. Bella just rolled her eyes.

"What?" I asked. she looked at me with a weird look, her thoughts cruelly mean.

"Nothing, sister." she hissed. I balled my fists.

"What the hell is your problem? Like I can help it that I have siblings." I hissed back. She snorted.

"They're weird. I don't like them, at all."

I laughed cynically," Oh really? I don't know where you've been the last eighteen years, but your part of that family. If you want it or not."

All the Cullens were watching us fight, but I didn't care. They should know how it was actually arranged. They needed to know Bella was only my half-sister.

"Whatever, I'm only glad I don't have to be around them all the time." she waved off. she looked at the Cullens and then said,

"We're only half-sisters. My Mom lives in Florida and theirs is dead." She simply said, making a few vampires gasp. Through my anger I couldn't stop the comment that flew out.

"Like I care if she is." I said softly, immediately hitting my hand across from my mouth, silencing myself.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to say that. Can't we just stop this nonsense and play baseball?" I pleaded. Esmé nodded.

"Sure, Honey, We will. Come on kids, let's head to the field. Should I pack the cinnamon bread with me girls?" she asked Bella and I. We both nodded, not looking at each other. She shouldn't have done that.

A while later I was seated in Emmett's jeep, Edward driving it. The others went to the field running. Bella and I bounced up and down every time we hit a hole or a hill. Edward However, stayed perfectly in his seat, constantly smiling throughout the drive.

Bella's chagrined mind didn't do good things for my mood. How dared she to say all that? To say that my family was weird and that my mother was dead. Well she was dead, but undead. I preferably had her into a pile of ashes. That would happen someday, once I was stronger. I was going to give her payback for what she had done to me. it wouldn't be something I completely looked forward too – killing that sadistic vampire. She was my mother after all and I once loved her. A long time ago.

But it seemed only fair – she tried to kill me and now it was my turn.

I felt the Jeep coming to a halt, making me look up curiously. We were still in the woods.

"Why are we stopping?" I asked in general. Edward was the one to answer, suddenly at me side, having opened the door.

"We going further on foot. We can't get closer with the Jeep." He smiled and helped me out, just like this morning. Then he went for Bella who let him help her this time. I closed the car door and walked up to them.

_'Why is she here again? she doesn't belong here. Edward's my boyfriend.'_

I wanted to reply – because I do. I have more right to be here than you do – but didn't. it would only make it worse.

"I'll go and walk ahead. Should I just follow the path?" I asked. Edward nodded and I turned to head for the field.

After a while I still wasn't there – this path seemed endless. Then I got an idea.

I stopped, concentrated on the wind and when my golden eyes opened, I took off like a rocket.

When I neared the border of the forest I was in, I slowed back to a human pace. To my surprise, I saw Edward and Bella already standing by the others. I walked upon the field and Esmé immediately came to me.

"There you are! Edward shouldn't have let you walk! We should have sent someone to get you.." she said frowning. I smiled, walking with her to the middle of the huge ,between mountains laying, field.

"It's okay. Now I already had my warming-up."

Carlisle made teams, selecting who was to bat and whom was on the field. Esmé took the task as the referee and Bella and I watched. They did promise we could play along once, though. We all stood waiting, for something, but I didn't get for what until it suddenly started thundering.

"Guys! It's time!" I faintly heard  
Alice yell from the middle. Then it clicked – the loud sound of thunder was needed for the crashing sounds they would make when they'd hit the ball.

When Carlisle hit the ball Alice threw, my theory was right – a loud crash was heard and the citizens of Forks would never guess there are vampires playing baseball.

It was amazing to see this. When someone batted the ball, another would catch it and run faster than sound to get too Esmé, trying to get a home run.

It was also the first time I saw Edward run. He was so fast, faster than me. And I was, still human, but very, very fast.

Bella began yelling and cheering as he ran back and I laughed. As if he needed a personal cheerleader. I was sure he knew he was the best at running.

My fantasies however, started to run free.

I saw a image of the future – Edward and me running together, hand in hand. He smiled at me as his bronze hair whipped backwards with the wind. Suddenly we fell down on the grass rolling down the hill, laughing. When we lay still, he kissed me, held me and hugged me. The thoughts made me feel so safe. I wished it was true. I saw Alice grinning devilishly at me for some reason.

I snapped back to the game and saw Jasper's ball fly straight into the woods. Edward and Emmett wanted to run when a vision blinded my eyes.

Vampires. Two males and a female, running in our direction. They'd heard us playing.

"STOP!" Alice yelled, making the whole family aware that something was going wrong. They all ran back to us at full speed. I started panicking. Not because of the vampires, but because of the face from one of them.

James.


	43. Chapter Forty-Two

**A/N: alright my dear readers! now we get some action! i'm warning you for violence and the usual use of vile words..;) solme bits might be confusing; i'm stilleditring it but unfortunately i broke my wrist during snowboarding with school yesterday...so i'm writing with only y bAad lefty hand now..**

**hope you enjoy though! And still a late happy valenbtines day!**

* * *

Everyone came to stand before us, pushing me and Bella behind them. Edward ushered Bella to let her hair down, just as he told me. but I couldn't . If I would, James could easily see who I was. that would be the end of me, us. My whole body was tense, adrenaline shooting through my veins only from knowing there was something going to happen.

I saw them nearing us at a fast speed, curious looks on their faces. I placed my baseball cap a little lower on my head, averting my eyes from the outside world – I wouldn't need my eyes to see.

I watched through Carlisle's mind as they got closer, stopping in front of us.

The first male, dark-skinned with long dread-locks, wore a relaxed expression on his face. He looked somehow genuine, but you could never trust him.

_'I smell something. There must be a human close by…' _

The female was wilder. Her striking red hair was long and thick, leaves and twigs sticking into it, making her only look more dangerous. He tight red eyes were gauging us.

_'What is this here…why are there so much of them...' _

James was the other male. His dirty blond hair was tied in a messy ponytail in his neck. The shivers went down my spine upon seeing his blood-red eyes. I hated him, truly and utterly hated him. The anxious shivers fast changed into anger. My fists clenched and all I wanted to do was end him. for my own safety and that from my sister, I neatly stayed at my place, unmoving and eyes behind the cap.

_'This could get interesting,' _

"I believe this is yours." The dark-skinned one said with an obvious French accent. I stood behind Edward and Esmé, as Bella panicked hugely. I wanted to shield our scents, but had no clue how to shield _both _of us.

"Yes," Carlisle replied, as he threw the ball back at him, "Thank you."

"I'm Laurent. And these are Victoria and James." The one who mentioned himself as Laurent, said. Pairs of eyes, golden, red and brown shot into different directions, feeling the tense atmosphere. My blacks ones stayed hidden and still.

"I am Carlisle and this is my family ," Carlisle said, starting to point at people and saying their names. I couldn't escape it when my name was going to be said. He'd recognize me the exact second.

"Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie," _'They could stay here while the other's leave.'_

_ "_Esmé and Alice, Bella, Edward and.." 'give her another name..what's her second name?' I held in my breath.

"and Marie." I heard Carlisle say. How did he knew he needed to change my name?

James' eyes shot to me while I still hadn't moved a bit.

"So? Could you use three more players?" Laurent asked somewhat excited. Carlisle thought about it for a moment.

"Sure, why not? A few of us were just leaving. We can start all over." He replied, deciding as leader of his coven. "Are you planning to stay in the area for long?"

"We're headed north, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the neighborhood.

We haven't ran into any others of our kind in a long time."

"No, that probably right. This region is usually empty except for us and the occasional visitor, like yourselves." Carlisle replied on Laurents answer. All the while James kept studying me and Bella.

Even though I was still lunatic, Jasper was using all his power to calm everyone down.

"What's your hunting range, if I may ask?" Laurent casually inquired. Carlisle ignored the assumption behind the inquiry. "The Olympic Range here, up and down the Coast Ranges on occasion. We keep a permanent residence nearby. There's another permanent settlement like ours up near Denali." Laurent rocked back on his heels slightly.

"Permanent? How do you manage that?" There was honest curiosity in his voice.

"Why don't you come back to our home with us and we can talk comfortably?" Carlisle

Invited carefully, knowing what he did. "It's a rather long story to tell."

James and Victoria exchanged surprised looks at the mention of the word 'home,' but

Laurent controlled his expression better.

"That sounds very interesting," His smile was somewhat sly. "We've been on the

hunt all the way down from Ontario, and we haven't had the chance to clean up in a

while." His eyes moved appreciatively over Carlisle's refined appearance, comparing to his own dirry and raffled clothes.

"Please don't take offense, but we'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from hunting in this

immediate area. We have to stay inconspicuous, you understand. We don't want the humans to find out of course." Carlisle explained.

"Of course." Laurent nodded.

"We certainly won't hunt on your territory. We just

ate outside of Seattle, anyway," Victoria laughed. Another shiver ran up my spine. This woman was creeping me out too.

"We'll show you the way if you'd like to run with us — Emmett and Alice, you can go

with Edward and Bella to get the Jeep," Carlisle casually added. Em and ali both nodded and just as they started to move, things happened at the same time.

Bella's hair ruffled with the light breeze, Edward stiffened, and the second male, James, suddenly whipped his head around, scrutinizing her, his nostrils flaring.

A swift rigidity fell on all of them as James lurched one step forward into a crouch. Edward bared his teeth, crouching in defense, a feral snarl ripping from his throat. It was nothing like the playful sounds I'd heard from him before; it was the single most menacing thing I had ever heard, and chills ran from the crown of my head to the back of my heels. This was his real nature.

"What is this?" Laurent exclaimed in open surprise. Neither James nor Edward relaxed

their aggressive poses. James feinted slightly to the side, and Edward shifted in response.

"She's with us." Carlisle's firm rebuff was directed toward James, his eyes narrowed. Laurent seemed to catch Bella's scent less powerfully than James, but awareness now dawned on his face.

"You brought a snack?" he asked, his expression incredulous as he took an involuntary

step forward. Edward snarled even more ferociously, harshly, his lip curling high above his

glistening, bared teeth. Laurent stepped back again.

"I said she's with us," Carlisle corrected in a hard voice, strong and fatherly voice.

"But she's _human_," Laurent protested. The words were not at all aggressive, merely

astounded.

"Yes." Emmett was very much in evidence at Carlisle's side, his eyes on James. James

slowly straightened out of his crouch, but his eyes never left Bella, his nostrils still wide. Edward stayed tensed like a lion in front of her as I was still safe behind Esmé, gripping her hand for dear life. She tried to sooth me, drawing her thumb in circles.

When Laurent spoke, his tone was soothing — trying to defuse the sudden hostility. "It

appears we have a lot to learn about each other then."

"Indeed." Carlisle's voice was still cool, harsh, like I'd never seen him.

"But we'd like to accept your invitation." Laurent's eyes flicked toward Bella and back to

Carlisle. It seemed they still had no clue I wasn't a vampire, "And, of course, we will not harm the human girl. We won't hunt in your range, as I said." James glanced in disbelief at Laurent and exchanged another brief look with Victoria, whose eyes still flickered edgily from face to face.

Carlisle measured Laurent's open expression for a moment before he spoke. "We'll

show you the way. Jasper, Rosalie, Esmé?" he called. They gathered together, blocking

Bella from view, tugging me along as they converged. Alice was instantly at my side, and Emmett fell back slowly, his eyes locked on James as he backed toward us.

"Let's go, Bella, Melody." Edward's voice was low and bleak.

The moment he said my name, another gust of wind, stronger than the one before, blew off my cap, exposing my hair and face.

James snapped back to us, studying my face. He knew my name and knew how I looked like. And even though my appearance was slightly different from the last time he saw me, he knew.

He knew.

His cruel eyes killed me as a mad growl got out of his chest. His mind however was surprised – I was still alive. The Cullens enclosed around me, all confused about the sudden change. Except for Carlisle because in some way, he knew something about me.

"She is with us too!" Emmett growled from in front of me. Esmé and Rosalie got hold of my hand as Jasper instructed via his mind to Edward, that he, Alice and Bella should leave. Alice ensured Edward they wouldn't follow them.

Edward looked at me as the tears streamed down. This would be the last time he'd see me. I'd never be able to fight James on my own once again. The look on his face was torn – debating if he should leave, or stay with me.

"Go." I urged, making a final decision. He gave me one look before nodding and turning around with Bella and Jasper, leaving the field.

"Give her to me." James hissed at Carlisle. I didn't know what to do – I couldn't let him hurt them.

"Over my pile of ashes." Carlisle growled back, having Emmett grumble along with him.

"I said, give her to me NOW!" James hollered taking a step toward us. he'd made his plans – me first, then Bella.

"Never." Rosalie yelled with fury in her voice. Esmé's hand tightened around mine.

_'Not my baby girl…' _

That did it. there was only one solution. I wriggled my hand out of Esmé and Rosalie's grasp, just as James had enough of it, ready to attack. Victoria was already hunting after Bella, following the truck, being part of his plan.

I had no time to concentrate this time, but the aggressiveness and hatred I had for this creature could make my powers lethal.

I looked around once, noticing we were close to the woods, and said the words I never once said to anyone outside me close family.

"I love you, guys, remember that," Before growling at James, pushing Rosalie out my way and running away into the forest, leaving a trail of lightning behind me.


	44. Chapter Forty-Three

I ran as fast as I could, shielding myself from the outer world. That way it would be extremely difficult for James to get a hold of me.

My hand was still burning from the flash of lightning that erupted when I fled. It didn't go how I wanted it to – I'd bared my secret.

I growled, angered with myself for being so reckless as the tears kept falling down. I bumped away a few bushes and jumped over out-sticking roots on the forest floor. My sneakers were full of mud, just as the rest of my clothes were from running.

I was going to miss them so much. My friends. My family back in LA. My new family here in Forks.

Carlisle – I would miss his fatherly behavior about me. I felt so safe and protected when he roared at James like that.

And Esmé – my now one and only mother figure existing. I let out a heart wrenching sob as I ran further, racing through the groups of trees. Esmé was caring about us. about her whole family. She'd scoff at Emmett when he'd enter the house all dirty from a hunt, but smile at him because she thought it was funny. She'd roll her eyes when Jasper would tell her another story about the Civil War again, but wink at him because she enjoys his fascination for wars. She always hugged her two daughters when they'd get home from a shopping trip or helped her with any kind of decorating.

And she'd ruffle Edward's unruly hair, looking at him with pity and so much love for her youngest son. Because he deserved someone to love. And he had that now. He had Bella.

The agonizing pain in my heart made my hands flash lightning again, while I had no idea where I was headed.

I would miss Emmett and Jasper – their jokes and goofiness. And beneath that sturdy appearance, they were only big teddy bears, totally huggable.

Even Rosalie, who didn't want to let me in at first, was a part of my life now. She was like a big sister to me, just like Scarlett, Skye and Layla were.

And Alice, oh no, Alice - that force of nature, always bouncing around you like an enormous ball of energy. She cheered me up, just by being in my presence with her happy-peppy moods.

I smiled slightly through the tears, feeling the muscles in my legs aching from the long run. I still wasn't changed yet – I should've thought about it, that I wouldn't last too long.

Then, my phone rang. I snatched it out of my pocket and looked at the caller-ID and pressed the green horn, still running to no destination.

"Jasper." I called over the line, "Are you guys alright? Where's Bella? Wher – "

"Melody where the hell are you! What's going on!" I heard him yell back at me. it was difficult to hear him because of the rain, thunderstorm and speed I was going with.

"I can't really explain! Not now! I'm somewhere in the woods, I think close to Edward's meadow?" I wasn't sure, but I'd seen the meadow in various minds before.

"Look, listen! Wherever you are – you need to get the hell out of there! James is coming after you! You should run, Mells, RUN!" he roared. I gasped, almost tripping over. He was coming after me.

"Is Bella okay?" I desperately wanted to know – she was my sister after all.

"No, but Carlisle is making sure she'll get through. You seriously need to get back to the house before he – "I looked back over my shoulder once, letting out an relieved breath when I saw nothing behind me. When I focused to the front again I shrieked, tripping over my own feet, letting my phone drop.

"I finally got you in my hands." He growled loudly, making me gasp as he tightly took hold of my forearms, lifting me until my eyes met his. They were blackest as deep midnight.

I tried to squirm out of his grasp but he wouldn't let me.

"Let me go! Damn-it!" I yelled at him, spitting in his face. His hands tightened and I cried out in pain. "AAAH!"

He threw me to the ground, into a puddle water in the middle of the field. My muscles ached and I was dizzy. My arms were probably covered with bruises.

James stalked towards me, a cocky smirk covering his face.

"You keep running from me don't you little Melody? Can't you just accept that this is your fate? Or was what your mom did not the right message?" he hissed. I growled.

"Nuh-uh, not so feisty here. I'm not done with you yet. Did you think I was going to kill you thus fast?" he let out a cynical laugh. I pulled myself together and started scooting backwards, somehow trying to get away on instinct.

"Where do you think you're going!? Don't you want to hear what I did to your little boyfriend?" he sneered at me, grabbing my ankles a bit too harsh. I bit my lip from letting out a painful whimper, pushing my fingers into the mud.

"What did you do to Bella!?" I said in a low voice. He just smirked and shrugged and started to tell the story.

"She went with your little boyfriend – " I interrupted him, "He's not my boyfriend!" I snapped. James just smiled.

"Like I care. Like I said, Bella went to her house, playing an awful break-up scene for her daddy. She was so hurt," he feigned heartbreak as he clutched his chest, still having one hand snaked around my ankle.

"And they left, thinking that I would take the amateur acting and leave. It was all very pitiful, really." He laughed again, hitting my knee as I once again squirmed against his grasp.

"If you want to live a little longer I should stop squirming, slut!" he roared in my face. I huffed.

"So, where was I? Oh right! I followed them as they headed outside town, trying to shake me off. this Edward guy went with his sisters to set me on a dead end. And that elf girl and her cowboy stayed with Bella, you see. But Bella was a bit stubborn." He chuckled darkly, and I held my breath for what might come. Luckily I knew Bella was fine now.

"I called to tell I held her mommy hostage and she believed me! isn't that nice? So she went to some old boathouse where I told her to meet me. did I already told you she smelled mouthwatering? Bad me for me though that the baby boyfriend needed to disrupt my fun." His face stood sad as he put on a obvious played pout. I didn't squirm, moved or said anything.

"Poor Bella that I already bit her," I gasped and gnashed my jaw together at his evil snicker, "They all wanted to make a pile of ashes of me, so I ran. I knew you ran off into the woods. Scared your happy family didn't you?" I growled as his finger tapped my cheek.

"Now now, don't get mad at me! I only did you a favor! Now you don't have to worry about being alone anymore! Edward has his Bella and you're only left. Can you even imagine how much fun it is for me to finally end you after all this time?" he laughed again hitting my cheek, cutting it with his frayed nails. He growled when he smelled the blood spilling out of the wound.

"Do you remember why your mommy wanted to end you?" he asked sickly sweet as he tightened his hands around my jaw, licking his lips in anticipation.

"Yes, you don't have to remind me." I managed to choke out, swallowing." But tell me though – was she really so flaccid and a coward that she let you do it?" I shot back, smirking.

I could see in his eyes that he had enough of it.

"She'll be so mad when she hears this – that I have done it." he smiled slyly before he grabbed upwards at my forearms again, making me hiss from the pain, and slung me to stand across from him. My legs and ankles hurt while my clothes were damp and dirty from lying on the ground.

"Take off your shirt."

"What!? Hell no!" I sneered, regretting it immediately. I already imagined the worse. James fumed at stood in front of me, ripping my upper clothes from my body, leaving me in only my bra.

"What do you want?" I cried, softly, desperately wanting this to be over.

"Don't worry baby girl, I just want to see how beautiful those scars look on you." He snapped, roughly grabbing me at the waist, rubbing the tender skin, covered with the scars that signed me for life. He grabbed my neck, grinning from ear to ear, pushing his nails into the skin at my waist, where my tattoos were drawn in an attempt to cheer up the angry scars.

"Exquisite,…such a pity I have Vickie now…you would've been great company in my bed…. it's so unfortunate that it will never happen…" He slurred, reminding me of that night in Port Angeles. his mind created images I never wanted to see. He showed me how he wanted to rape me, how he wanted to violate me until I breathed out my last breath.

"STOP!" I cried. He laughed loudly before shaking his head.

"Aaah….I forgot you're a dirty mind-reader. Just like this Edward guy." His sly smile started to sicken me. The nauseous crept into my stomach from abhorrence.

"What about this then, little Melody? If you don't like playing with me, then I should entertain you with this instead.." before I could devise what he meant, he fired off old memories.

I relived every single thing that had happened only one year ago.

_'Why!? Why are you doing this? I'm your daughter for Fuck's sake! You made me! You gave birth to me! I haven't done anything wrong!' I stood there, completely soaked. The skin of my belly was completely smooth and tattoo-less. My stance was protective. I shouldn't have been so stupid to take my three cousins with me. But at that time I hadn't known this would happen._

_'haven't done anything wrong!? You did EVERYRTHING WRONG! You're dangerous! You don't DESERVE to live! Nobody will ever love you! And I'll end you!' she was screaming now. My heart ached as she said those words. I expected tears, but it only seemed to fuel my rage.'_

"Stop that! PLEASE!" I could feel the pain again. I'd thought that that nightmare was bad but this…those feelings…this pain – it was ten times worse.

_My tiny body started shaking now too, flashes of lightning flickered out of my hands. My mother had mirrored the action. Hers were stronger. Ready to attack. 'NO!' Denim wanted to jump in front of me, but it was too late. I lost control. Blue lightning exploded and I was being electrocuted. A heart wrenching scream was heard, followed by nothing. _

James laughed at my agonizing expression, my visible pain as he went to torture me further with his mind.

_'Melody! Please say something!' Faith stood leaning down, next to my ear._

_ 'Check her heart and lungs!' Alana screamed._

_ 'What have you done you fucking LEECH!' Denim roared at the cruel women that called herself my mother._

_ James stood next to her, smiling wickedly, black eyes shining with thirst. _

_ 'Bring her to me.' Fiorenza urged. James obliged and went to my still jerking body. Suddenly I saw myself stand up, bleeding all over, the violent tears in my skin. _

_ 'James, get back here.' She ushered. He came to stand next to her. I looked torn, broken and terrifying._

_ Fiorenza took a deep breath, 'I'm so done with you!' she growled darkly. She started trembling again, as James went to go stand behind her, as she once again fired. _

_ Lightning and bolts of true fire flew into my direction and the intuition in my eyes meant one thing – motherly protection._

"NO! please stop it!" I bellowed, sitting on my knees holding my head in my hands. I was getting lunatic.

But James didn't listen to my pleas.

_I jumped in front of my cousins, turned around and spread my arms widely, wailing from the pain, but ignoring it. _

_ As the final attack neared us I shot out my shield, keeping the flames away from my family. I shook all over, getting weak. _

_ Denim, Faith and Alana looked at each other – they jumped in, one by one, making my shield stronger by blending theirs into mine._

_ Like this, we were invincible, more immortal than ever. _

_ As the fire slowed down to its stop, I gave up – I dropped to the ground, face-down, letting her win and get what she so desperately wanted._

_I saw eyes - golden, cold and lifeless. _

Finally, when the whole memory was over, he stopped, standing in front of me again. he picked me up from the mushy ground again placing me on my feet.

I was so tired.

When his dirty, with blood covered hand, itched its way to my breast and wanting to unclasp its hook, I started squirming again. My body shook with hate, fury and lethality. Just as he reached his goal, I exploded and his hands touched my left shoulder.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!" I roared as the flashes of killing lighting shot to his hand but unfortunately, electrocuted myself during the process. But it was worth it.

James was forced backwards once I pushed him off of me, tripping to the ground, crying out from the excruciating pain that shattered his veins.

The lightning stopped and panting, I dropped on my knees, falling down, bleeding at several places.

I'd done everything I could and stopped fighting. As my eyes fluttered close, I faintly saw the vision from a few months ago, appear back in my head.

_'Melody!? Where are you!?'a loud thunder crack disturbed the silence in the woods. It was dark outside and raining. 'Melody!? Please! Come back here!' he ran through the forest, bumping trees and obstacles out of the way. 'please, please, be okay! Please! I can't lose you! Please!' more running and screaming, until he saw a small body laying in the grass, bleeding._


	45. Chapter Forty-Four

Where was I? It was dark, uncomfortable. The pressure on my body was terrible as I felt the urge to cry the whole time.

I became aware of a weird beeping sound. A constant rhythm. I also felt something stream into me, numbing me – a strange feeling that I somehow was familiar with.

People. I heard people talking, without actually hearing any sound other than the annoying beep.

I wanted to get out of here – I didn't understand.

_My eyes fell close, fading into blackness as I saw the contour of someone running up to me, screaming my name._

_I vaguely sensed and heard what was happening. I felt something cold on my neck, feeling my pulse, probably a hand._

_'Carlisle! Help me, NOW!' a growl, furious and painful further away, while the hand never left me neck. _

I wriggled, feeling something tug at my wrist as pain struck my shoulder.

"Nnghm," I whimpered.

_Another hand joined in at my wrist this time. Carlisle. It must be Carlisle just like the he said. _

_'Alice, Emmett! Make a fire and burn him!' _

_Was that really Carlisle? He's never been violent before. _

_I felt a sting as Carlisle touched my wounded shoulder. I let out a strangled moan from the pain. The other hand was back again, drawing soothing circles on my forehead and dabbing my cheek with a soft material. 'Sssh, little girl, I'm here. You're safe now. We're going to help you.' He kept sobbing heartbroken. Something as soft as rose petals and cold as ice, touched my forehead. _

The constant beeping increased, getting louder and even more annoying. I squeezed my eyes.

_I felt safe immediately, grabbing the hand that was busy at my cheek and holding onto it like a lifeline. He didn't wince away from the strength at all. _

_I smelled fire, smoldering fire and I panicked. 'Not again,' I whined._

_'Edward I need you to help me move her to the car. Be careful – her shoulder's broken and there are a lot of wounds. Can you handle the blood son?' _

_'Yes. And If not I'll make sure I will,' _

_He was here. He was with me. _

My sight was blurry when I slowly began to see some light again. I saw shadows in shapes of humans. Where am I? Who was with me? Where's Esmé? The Cullens? Edward?

I blinked a few times and heard someone calling out.

"She's awake!" a high boyish voice squealed. Suddenly the face of to whom the voice belonged appeared above my head.

The dark-brown bouncy curls and his big golden eyes made me recognize him.

"Denim?" I croaked, confused. What was he doing here? Why wasn't he in LA?

A sad smile covered his face, _'I feel bad for her…'_

"Den? what's going on? Where am I? Where is – "

"Melody, we're all very happy you're awake! You're in the hospital of Forks. Carlisle Cullen brought you here together with his son. Don't worry – you're going to be just fine, my dear! Your whole family is waiting outside!" the chubby woman in front of me wasn't familiar. If I was in the hospital, than she was probably a nurse. So weird that while I've always had so much hatred for hospitals, I always managed to get there.

"How does your shoulder feel? I'm going to give you another bit of diclofenac and then I'll get your sisters for you all right?" the chubby nurse rushed. I just nodded as she changed the sacks with pain numbing liquid. My eyes had better sight now and I could easily make out the few heads sticking around the corner at the door.

My family was here. Both.

As the nurse left, my three sisters entered the room, all wearing relieved and anxious expressions. Denim had left suddenly without me noticing.

"Oh Melody! We were so worried about you!" Scarlett had tears falling from her eyes, as she sat beside me on the bed. Layla started stroking my cheek, dabbing the salty moisture away whilst Skye caressed the skin of my hand where the IV was placed in reassuringly.

"Scar…What happened?" I croaked warily. My whole body was zinging with a strange numbness, probably from the painkillers.

"I don't know exactly…your friends are not telling us the whole truth. Nobody is, really. They said you had an accident while playing baseball – it was all very vague. When I got a call from Esmé telling us you were here we immediately went to the airport." She explained still sniveling. I creased my eyebrows together.

"How long am I already here?" I whispered, looking at the ceiling.

"Three days. You've been out for quite a while – you've lost a lot of blood." Skye informed me. I was still so confused, I knew there was more – there had to be.

I thought about it, trying to bring back the right story when suddenly an amount of memories flashed back to me, making the ECG beep faster.

"N-n-noo! Where's Bella? Where's…Edward!?" I choked, feeling my eyes water up again.

My sisters silenced me, soothed me until the heart monitor got his normal rhythm back.

"Bella's in the room next to you. She's been clearly awake for a while now. She's broken her leg and has a few scratches but except from that she's fine." Layla reassured me. I nodded, letting out a tense breath.

"And Edward?" Skye questioned.

"Who was Edward again..I mean we met a lot of friends of yours, seriously," Layla giggled ,"At least I'm glad you found friends, best friends!"

I smiled, but was still tense – what if something happened to Edward? Where was he?

Scarlett had left my side and went outside, having closed her mind from me, which she knew I found was annoying.

A little bit later she came back, smiling slightly. I gave her a wary look when she still didn't open up her mind to me. then she nodded to the door and as I followed her gaze I gasped.

The most delighted smile followed – a smile I only left for one person.

Edward.

He smiled back and hurried to me while my sisters left, saying they'd go to the cafeteria and meet me later.

When Skye closed the door she thought, _'He seriously is beyond hot! Go get 'm Tiger!' _I did my very best not to laugh, praying Edward was incapable of reading her mind too.

"Hey," he said, relieved but with a raw edge coloring his tone somehow.

"Hi," I croaked, nervously, feeling the rosy color blossom in my cheeks again.

"I missed you. I was so terribly worried about you! You can't even imagine how much!" he choked, grimacing and stroking my forehead with his icy thumb. I smiled slightly, feeling the warmth enclose my heart at his admission.

"Edward, you saved my life." I stated. He didn't agree with me though.

"Melody, if I hadn't took you with us, you wouldn't even be here. Then you would be al healthy and live a normal life. " he choked again, his eyes troubled, as if he'd cry.

"Maybe it's better if I don't bother you anymore. It's safer that way, and – "

"What!? No, no, no, no! you can't leave! You can't just say – " I choked, the traitorous tears spilling over. Why was he saying this, doing this to me?

"No, I'm sorry okay? Sssh…I'm sorry I won't say it again." he soothed, still caressing my forehead.

"Promise me." I ordered. I needed to know.

"I promise. You're my best friend. I won't ever leave you."

I lay there for another few days. Bella was already home with Charlie, while I was blown with visits from my siblings, cousins and friends. At least I didn't get boring.

Luckily, the heart monitor was gone so I wouldn't get psycho from the annoying beeping tone.

My shoulder was broken and I was sure there were a few lightning scars underneath. It angered me. a few more of those fights and my body would be full of them. For the rest, my ankle was squashed and bruises and small cuts and scrapes covered my legs, arms, neck and face.

When Alice stopped by one day after school, I forced her to tell me what happened to James and what her family had seen.

While Carlisle and Edward were taking care of me, Jasper, Emmett and Alice had grabbed James from the ground and torn him to pieces before throwing him into a fire. That had been the smoldering smell I'd sensed. Alice ensured me he was dead now – only left of him were ashes.

She told me I needed to be careful around the Cullens. They were suspicious and wondered how it was possible. Alice told me she had explained them, that it looked like I was fast, because we were close to the woods and that the flash of lightning they briefly saw, was probably because of the thunderstorm. They seemed to believe her story – for now.

Carlisle however, knew something.

He checked upon me at a daily basis and I once got the courage to ask him why he knew he needed to change my name.

"How did you know that? I mean I'm sure it wasn't some random guess." I questioned him. a look of someone getting caught flashed across his features.

_'how do I explain?'_ "Well, I knew who James was – He'd been with the Volturi for a long time – I'll tell the story about them sometime later – And I knew he was familiar with you. Melodiana Swan was a name that wasn't allowed to be spoken between the castle walls. I got curious when I heard about you and did some research. Don't worry, though, I don't know exactly what you are, but I do know you're quite like us." he explained. I averted my eyes, not daring to look at him. I didn't want to know what he'd found during his research.

"You…won't tell the others, right?" I asked, hesitating. Carlisle, patted my hair softly.

"No I won't if that's what you want, Melody. You're family to me and I'll respect your wishes." He smiled and I returned the favor, before he left me again, waiting for my brothers and cousins to visit me for the afternoon.

Three knocks at the door, made me look up, and taking out my ear buds.

"Buon pomeriggio á Melodiana!" Nathan's voice boomed happily when he opened the door. I laughed at him. Faith was holding his hand as they entered and grabbed a chair to sit down. Chris, Alana, Adam and Denim followed him.

"Hey guys! You're going to annoy me again?" I chuckled as I put my IPod away.

"Nah, we prefer nagging you." Chris answered, smirking as he handed a bouquet of flowers.

"Dude, that means the same." I replied, annoyed already.

"Yeah, I know."

"Hi chucks! Are you feeling better?" Denim appeared at my side, grinning.

"Yeah much better. I hope I can go home soon, but they won't let me go." I said as Faith and Alana came to stand next to him.

Alana started giggling as she thought about something. I rolled my eyes at her and she giggle dharder.

"What? what are we missing? What's the joke?" Nathan questioned desperately, making me giggle with my niece.

"Alright, Lana, just say it!" I chuckled. she took on a serious face, looking exactly like Skye, and spoke, "I can't believe Grandpa actually gave you pepper spray!" she gleefully stated.

"No shit! He did? does he even know that pepper spray doesn't work on a vampire?" Chris joked before starting to laugh.

Charlie indeed gave me pepper spray, but not for this occasion – he'd given it to me so that I could protect myself. I didn't say it wouldn't work – it was about the idea after all.

"You look like a robot with all those wires!"Faith exclaimed, making me chuckle.

"Yeah, well it was worse three days ago. Thank god I lot a few of them."

We all talked about the usual for a while – just like we used to. They told me about their progresses in work and funny moments with the family while I was here in Forks.

My cousins and Adam left after a while – they were going to Charlie, having promised to spend as much time with him as they could. Bella was at the Cullen's anyway, having her free time with Edward.

"You know, pigmy, I heard something interesting…." Nathan started. My eyes shot to his, which stood mischievous – the ultimate annoy-baby-sister-mood.

"Is it seriously true that you managed to get away from the talk for at least 154 times in a row!?" he moved on. my face blossomed up.

"Uuhh…." Oh shit, please not now! I can't escape! I glanced at my brother's face again. that was exactly what he thought.

"Well, since you're bored and we are here anyway, we'd gladly explain the whole thing to you." He smirked and I whimpered from embarrassment, making Nate chuckle darkly.

"So, pigmy, do you know where your vagina is – "

"I'm not listening!"

"And what about the fact that you have tits? Do you know what you can do with them?"

"Lalalalala! Seriously I really can't hear what you're saying."

"Nate, don't be so mean to her.."

"Ever heard of the G-spot before Melly?"

I growled loudly, protecting my ears. Of course I knew all of this, but Nathan just liked to torture me with this.

"Have you lost your V-card yet? I hope not, cause I'll beat the shit out the guy who did it – " Nathan happily talked further, humiliating me till no end while Chris tried to make him shut up, through my growls.

"Nathan seriously, quit, you can see she's getting mad you know...I think you'll need to protect your hair and your crotch soon…"

I was done with it. the bouquet of flowers in my hand had to suffer from my anger. Angrily I tore it into pieces because of my aggressiveness. Nathan only seemed to think it was highly amusing.

"Now, now, don't punish the plants please, they were probably busy bringing over their seeds to one another. Did you know that you can do that to? I'm sure you don't listen to the lesson during biology.."

"Nathan…maybe it's better if you leave, like, now?" Chris' brows were creased upon seeing my fire-red face, and my jaw clenched together. I was furious.

"Nathan, fucking Charles, fucking Swan! Get. The. Fucking. Hell. Out. Of. here. Now." I growled lowly. The look on his face was kind of priceless, but I couldn't laugh about it this time. he quickly did as I asked or better said – commanded. Chris chuckled as he closed the door. I grabbed a spare pillow and pushed it over my face.

"It's a good thing you're to messed up to move or I'm sure you would've snapped his neck." Chris chuckled.

"That was so..humiliating!" I whined, still with the pillow over my face. My brother-in-law pulled the pillow away from my face.

"It's okay, Baby Swan, I get it. but it's normal you know. But Nathan just…" he paused.

"He actually does this to make sure you'll stay…innocent."

"You're kidding? He does that because he's afraid I'll have sex someday?" I hissed, incredulously. Chris winced, not liking that very idea either.

"Yeah,..."

"He's seriously unbelievable…" I said shaking my head and pinching the bridge of my nose.

Suddenly, there was knock on the door.

"Miss Swan? Dr. Cullen asked me to get you set to go home." The chubby nurse that was here from the day I got in the hospital, which I learned listened to the name Annie, stood in the doorway, smiling. I looked at Chris, who smiled also.

"I can go home."


End file.
